Eston Snider closes in on MTSU's record books

Written by Willie Phaler

In game one of a conference series against Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee Outfielder Eston Snider picked up the 200th hit of his collegiate career.

With an infield single to shortstop, Snider hit the milestone in the fifth inning against Luke Cooley.

“When I saw there was a chance for it, obviously it was something cool that I wanted to do,” Snider said.

The milestone is just a cherry on top of what has been a successful senior campaign for Snider. As of April 17th, he sits fourth in Conference USA with a .362 batting average. The mark leads the Blue Raiders, along with leading MTSU in hits, doubles and on-base percentage.

Snider is also closing in on the program’s hit by pitches record, something Snider said he really cares about.

“ (I) haven’t had any in a while,” Snider said. “It would be a cool stat to be number one in the Blue Raider history books for that.”

Snider’s presence is something that impacts the Blue Raiders off the field as well.

“Eston’s been the example of what we want all our players to follow suit with,” Head Coach Jerry Meyers said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He works extremely hard, high character, just brings energy everyday.”

 Meyers said one of the best qualities about the senior outfielder has been his ability to adjust.

“He had an opportunity to play early on,” Meyers said. “He’s made the most of it. He’s learned from his mistakes and tried to get better as a hitter.”

As the end of Snider’s final season nears, the Blue Raider’s captain has a clear goal for the team.

“Getting some more wins and making a statement in conference as a team while showing what we can do,” Snider said. “We’ve done some good things up to this point.”

The Blue Raiders have five conference series left prior to the CUSA tournament, that takes place May 21-25 in Lynchburg, Virginia.