Blue White Illustrated

teve Snyder was on the phone from an Ohio-bound bus, en route to a midweek nonconference game at Kent State. He'd been tasked with ex- plaining how, after two seasons of batting just a shade over .250, he was hitting close to 100 points higher during his sen- ior year. The only real difference, he said, was respiration. "The biggest thing is breathing," Snyder said. "Taking a deep breath after a tough pitch, when you thought it was a ball but it's called a strike. It calms you down. Otherwise, I haven't done anything different." It may seem like a bit of an oversimpli- fication from the Nittany Lions' best hit- ter, and it probably is. But even the more complicated answer is a fairly simple one, echoing the mentality instilled by first- year manager Rob Cooper. Penn State's new head coach preaches "The Process," a mantra that boils everything down to the small steps necessary to achieve suc- cess. Snyder says adopting that mindset has proven invaluable. "It's just the rou- tine," he said, "doing the same thing every at bat, knowing exactly what you're going to do when you get up there. It's a detailed approach that we can fall back on if we're struggling. And it's not just hitting – it's about doing the same thing before every game." Snyder says that focus on the mental aspect of the game was lacking before Cooper's arrival, and while he doesn't specifically call out departed coach Robbie Wine, who resigned last June, he's clear in saying Cooper's approach has "really helped a lot of our guys." None seem to have benefitted more than Snyder. At press time, the senior center- fielder was hitting a team-best .338, mostly from the lead-off position. He also was leading the Lions in hits, runs and on- base percentage. Impressive numbers all, if down a bit from early April, when his .367 average and all-around play helped Penn State to its first ever 4-0 start in Big Ten play. The team lost 10 of its next 12 after that hot start, but Snyder's contri- butions still stand out. "I didn't know what to expect from any of our guys, but it became very apparent halfway through the fall that this guy was just a really solid player," Cooper said of Snyder. "When I call someone 'a baseball player,' that's a high compliment. He plays good defense, he runs the bases the right way. He's a baseball player." He's been one for a while. Snyder made the All-Big Ten freshman squad in 2010, finishing second on the team with a .355 average, but after redshirting in 2011, he struggled to regain his effectiveness at the plate. Snyder hit .258 and .255 the next two seasons, leaving the newly ar- rived Cooper with little reason to expect him to revert to his rookie form. But Cooper did see one sign that Snyder would make a difference this season. "He's a fifth-year senior, the oldest guy on our team, and he's completely bought into what we're doing," Cooper said. "If you're a younger guy on the team, and you look at the elder statesman doing that, that's important." Snyder considers himself a lead-by- example type – the perfect player, in other words, for a new manager counting on senior leaders to set the tone. Inher- iting a team that went 14-36 last spring, Cooper knew better than to expect an easy run in his first season. But with Snyder on board, the transition has been smoother than it would have been oth- erwise. That's a truth that bodes well for next season, and beyond. "I think the future's real bright with this team," Snyder said. "They have a lot of good guys coming in, and the guys on the team now can continue to improve." Snyder won't be around to help, of course. He graduates this month, and despite his eye-catching numbers, he says he hasn't spent any time gauging his draft chances. Instead, he's looking forward to starting work as an accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Philadel- phia, where he's already accepted a job. Not that he rules out the possibility of continuing his baseball career, if the op- portunity comes along. "I'm just playing it day by day," he said. "We'll see how it goes." ■ SNYDER BASEBALL Penn State swept by Golden Gophers Penn State dropped both ends of a doubleheader at Minnesota on April 26, falling 4-0 in the first game, then losing the nightcap 12-0. Starting pitcher T.J. Jann went eight strong innings in the first game, but the Nittany Lions weren't able to score de- spite totaling nine hits. Minnesota's pitching staff continued to dominate in the series finale, as Neal Kunik and Lance Thonvold combined to toss a four-hit shutout. The two pitchers struck out 12 Penn State batters. It was a tough weekend in the Twin Cities, as Penn State lost all three games by a combined score of 18-1. The Lions' losing streak was at nine games heading into a nonconference matchup April 29 against visiting Kent State. However, the Lions (17-23, 5-9) were still in con- tention for the eighth and final spot in the Big Ten tournament field. ■ V A R S I T Y V I E W S 'PROCESS' ORIENTED Steve Snyder's faith in new sta pays big dividends | S

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