Sam (Derr) Snyder ’14 began her softball collegiate career at Division II Kutztown University. She was a First Team All-American, and the NCAA DII Pitcher of the Year, as well as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Pitcher of the Year. 

After transferring to Lebanon Valley, she continued to pad her stats and in her junior year, the Lititz, Pa. native was named NFCA First Team All-Region, as well as the Commonwealth Pitcher of the Year. She guided the Flying Dutchmen to an NCAA Tournament appearance and she was named NCAA All-Region. She set LVC season records for wins (25), appearances (33), saves (3), and innings pitched (204.0). 

She got even better in her senior season as was tabbed an NFCA Second Team All-American and a CoSIDA/Capital One Third Team Academic All-American. She added an NFCA First Team All-District nod and was named to the NCAA Tournament All-Region Team and was again named the Commonwealth Pitcher of the Year. She earned six CC and three ECAC player/pitcher of the week awards and set an LVC single-season record with a 1.03 ERA. She went 23-3 inside the circle with 14 shutouts. Snyder also set another LVC record with 37.0 consecutive scoreless innings and she won her first 19 games. 

Additionally, she tossed a no-hitter in the NCAA Tournament vs. Keene State. Snyder literally did it all for LVC, as she was the Dutchmen’s top slugger at the plate in 2014, hitting .371 with three home runs, and a program-record 37 RBI and 11 walks. 

You began your collegiate career at Kutztown University… What were your reasons for transferring and tell me about your recruiting process with Coach Hollinger?

There were a variety of reasons for transferring- when I had first committed to Kutztown I had no idea what I wanted to do as far as major and went back and forth between Elementary Education & Business Administration. I had decided to ultimately switch to Business Administration and I had wanted to apply to a variety of internships, but with being on scholarship at Kutztown, I was limited with what I could apply to with missing practices, games, etc. I knew transferring to a Division 3 school would allow me to intern and play softball without penalty. Ultimately, I was going to graduate from college and wasn't going to play softball for the rest of my life, and knew I wanted to have a job lined up after college and LVC was able to do just those things for me. 

Another reason for transferring was figuring out what I actually wanted out of playing softball. I think a lot of student-athletes get swept into thinking "I have to play Division 1 or Division 2 or else I am not very good." Reflecting back, I knew deep down my personality was fit for a Division 3 school filled with not only competitive softball, but also a balance of family, supportive coaches, teammates, academic advisors, professors, and a fantastic education. Unfortunately, I did not realize that this balance was what I had wanted all along, but after 2 years at Kutztown I knew that I only had a short time left in college and wanted to make the most of my student-athlete experience. 

Coach Hollinger had started coming to my games when I was a freshman in high school. My dad and the assistant coach were old time friends, so I had actually started going to camps when I was about 10 years old. I remember loving the campus, and growing up my dad would take me to see Jenn Roberts, a pitcher who graduated in 2007, at home games at LVC. As I got older, I started to look at different schools throughout my recruiting process and will never forget the hand written letter that Coach Hollinger wrote me during my junior year. Her letter talked about how she knew I was looking at different schools but if there was anything she could do to help me understand the recruiting process or colleges I had questions about to let me know. When I was looking into transferring, I remember my dad and I talking about her letter and how she would be a coach I would love to play for because she cares not only about her players as softball players, but also as people. It was hands down the best decision I have ever made, and I truly think it resorts back to the letter she wrote me when I was 17 years old. 

Your junior year at LVC, you went 25-6 inside the circle and also led the team at the plate. What could you attribute that to?

All throughout college I was never a strikeout pitcher, so all of my credit goes to my teammates & coaches. Our coaches worked extremely hard to make sure our defense was rock solid behind me, as well as our offense providing enough runs for us to win so many games. Going into my junior year, it was tough because I was on an entire new team, but my teammates and coaches welcomed me with open arms and made sure I was comfortable from day one. I remember Coach Hollinger had always said, "I can try and recruit the best talent for the best team, but I can't make the girls get along." From the first day of practice, all of us formed a wonderful friendship on and off the field, and I truly believe that was the number one reason for our success. We always had each other's backs, always supported each other, and always wanted to win for each other. 

What was it like to throw a no-no in an NCAA Tournament game your senior year?

It was one of the neatest experiences of my softball career. Going into college, one of my personal goals was to throw a no-hitter in college and I had never done it up until my senior year. Going into an NCAA Tournament, I had just wanted to do the best I could in order to try and help our team win, so throwing a no-hitter was never at the top of my priorities during the first round of the tournament. I remember around the 5th inning or so someone in our dugout mentioned that they didn't think we had given up a hit so I tried not to think about it until the game was over, but I was just so incredibly proud of my teammates for fielding ball hit to them, scoring enough runs for us to win the game, and ultimately moving onto the next game. 

What’s your favorite memory from playing at LVC?

My favorite memory was during my junior year during the MAC playoffs when we faced Alvernia in the semi's to get into the championship game of the double elimination tournament. Alvernia was a great team and we were down by a couple of runs going into the 5th inning. We started getting runners on base and Steff Secola hit a 3-run homerun to give us the lead and we ended up winning the game to advance to the championship, ultimately winning MACs. 

How did competing as a student-athlete at LVC prepare you for life after college?

I truly believe being a student-athlete sets you up for success for life after college. Being a student-athlete taught me how to overcome failure, be a team player, be an effective communicator, use time wisely, and more. All of these things will happen to you after college, and I think LVC's coaches, advisors, and professors all helped prepare me for doing these things after college. Being a teacher now, I have to learn how to manage my time, learn to deal with setbacks & failure, and how to communicate with my students, colleagues, administration, and more. 

How has life after college been treating you? Where do you work now?

Since graduating from LVC in 2014, I have gotten to do so much in life that I am so thankful for. I graduated with a Business Administration Degree from LVC and actually obtained my Master's in Secondary Education to be able to teach at my alma mater, Warwick High School, in their business education department. I am currently in my 4th year teaching and volunteer coach for Warwick's softball program. I married my biggest fan and the best man I know, Zach Snyder, who is also a Warwick graduate, a teacher, and a football coach. Over the past 4 years, I have been involved with Spooky Nook Softball at the 18U Gold Level traveling all over the country helping with pitchers.  Zach and I have two awesome dogs and we are expecting a baby boy in March of 2021! 

What’s one piece of advice you’d give a current LVC student-athlete?

One piece of advice I'd give a current LVC student-athlete is to ALWAYS be a team player. After you graduate, your teammates and coaches are not going to remember the score of every game, but they will remember how you made them feel. Ask how to get better, help your team in any way you can, always ask questions, respect your coaches and teammates, and never take the game for granted. 

What’s one piece of advice you’d give a prospective student-athlete who’s thinking about attending LVC?

Always give 100% into everything you do- whether it's a class you do not like or a practice you are not wanting to go to that day, your time is limited here at LVC. It will be the best 4 years of your life that you have, and you never want to look back and wish you had done more to get a better grade, have a better game, be better at a specific position, etc. 

Anything else you’d like to add?

ALWAYS thank your parents and/or your support group for coming to your games. You only have 4 years to play the game you love, and your family is there each step of the way. I loved having my family be able to come to almost every game, and they had sacrificed so many things to make sure they were at every game during high school, drove me to practices and tournaments hours away, and still managed to never miss a game when the season came. It is so important to know what your family sacrifices over the years and to be appreciative of them.