There’s certainly plenty of Fighting Scot greats to debate over as to who are the best of the best in The College of Wooster’s tradition-rich baseball history. Travis Snyder certainly belongs in that conversation, and his play at the 1997 NCAA Div. III World Series is a big reason why.
The University of Southern Maine topped Wooster 7-1 in the 1997 World Series opener, and history was on the verge of repeating itself, as the Scots previously went two-and-out in a pair of prior appearances at the championship finals. A new script was authored in 1997, with Snyder, a sophomore, serving as one of the key contributors. Wooster’s high-powered offense erupted for 19 runs in a 19-6 win over Chapman University, a game in which Snyder went 2-for-3 with a co-team-leading four runs. In the next elimination game, Snyder delivered a 2-for-4 performance and scored a pair of runs during an 11-7 win over the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Then, Snyder delivered a game-tying single in a 2-1 win over Carthage College, a game in which the Wooster native logged three of the Scots’ seven base knocks.
Wooster eventually fell to Southern Maine, 15-1, in the championship round, marking the first of two runner-up showings for the storied program. Snyder was the bright spot for the Scots, as his first-inning round-tripper marked the program’s Div. III-record 104th homer of the season.
Snyder earned his first of three straight first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference certificates as a sophomore. On the year, he hit .465 (94-for-202), with the average ranking as the second-highest in program history, and the hits ranking as the fourth-most in Div. III history at the time. He was part of an offense that broke or matched eight team records, while individually, the Scots’ infielder established new single-season benchmarks for hits, doubles (25), and total bases (168).
Fueled by a breakout season, Snyder was voted to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Mideast Region Team as a junior after hitting .382 (60-for-157) with 56 runs, 15 doubles, nine homers, and 53 RBI. Similar to his sophomore year, Snyder stepped up with the Scots’ back to the fence in the postseason, this time with a 3-for-3 performance with five RBI and two runs scored during Wooster’s 12-2 triumph over Marietta College.
As a senior, Snyder earned a second all-region certificate after hitting .352 (58-for-165) with 62 runs, 17 doubles, eight homers, and 40 RBI. His final collegiate hit – a seventh-inning single against Marietta at the Mideast Regional – marked his 250th, making him just the second player in program history to hit that milestone. In fact, Snyder’s the second player in program history (now one of four) to log at least 250 hits, 200 runs, and 150 RBI over a career.
“From the day Travis decided to come to Wooster, he was destined to be one of our all-time great players,” shared Tim Pettorini, Wooster’s legendary coach and fellow W Association Hall of Famer. “His talent level was tremendous, and it was only surpassed by his work ethic. Travis’ drive to succeed and the overall ability he had helped lead our program and set the standard Wooster baseball has prided itself on for many years.”
The mathematics major is an insurance agent for State Farm, has owned an agency in nearby Ashland since 2001, and has served on the school board for Triway Local Schools since 2012.
Personally, Snyder is married to Yael Moore ’99, and the couple has three children: Payton, Trypton, and Tyler.