By Pat Tintle
Sports Editor
Only one person can say she holds the St. Bonaventure softball homerun record, and that is accounting graduate student Ashley Snider.
Although she has used up her eligibility, Snider, the former Bonnies centerfielder, still remembers the day she carved her into the Bonaventure record book.
“It was opposite field,” Snider, a right-handed batter, said. “It was a little bit toward center, but definitely toward right field. You can usually tell if it’s going to go the distance or not once it hits off the bat. That time, I could tell it was gone, so it was a good feeling.”
That was Snider’s 24th career homerun as a Bonnie. With that swing, Snider broke the previous record held by Brianna Bricker, who graduated in 2008, of 23. She then preceded to hit three more base-clearers that season to bring her record total to 27, which stands today.
For Snider, who has been playing softball since she was six years old, the record holds a special place in her heart.
“I take pride in it,” Snider said. “It is a really big accomplishment and not a lot of people can say that they’re the career homerun leader at a Division I softball program. However, I don’t take anything away from the teammates I was playing with while I broke the record. But I definitely have a lot of pride.”
Now, Snider has another fence to clear. The 22 year old just received word that she got the job as an assistant coach for Lancaster High School’s softball team in the suburbs of Buffalo. A Lancaster graduate herself, Snider is prepared to take the teachings of her old St. Bonaventure coach, Mike Threehouse, and apply them to a younger team.
“He’s very well respected and liked at St Bonaventure,” Snider said of the 19- year veteran coach. “I’m going to take a few of the drills that we did during practices and during hitting sessions. I’ll take a few of the drills that he taught us and I’ll take his advice and coaching abilities and try to translate that to this high school program.”
The Redskins will welcome an experienced softball player as they try to improve on their 2014 varsity record of 14-15.
While Snider will be putting all of her out-of-the-classroom efforts into the Redskins program, she still has a bit of hope that one day she can make a return to the softball program she elevated.
“(Bona’s) was the most memorable softball program I’ve been a part of,” Snider said. “It was my college and it meant a whole lot to me. Working for a college program, especially Division I, would be a great opportunity. I would definitely like to see if I could do that in the future. Maybe not here, but maybe at another college. But St. Bonaventure would definitely be number one.”
But, as the case with many former student-athletes, Snider has to deal with the pressures of coaching a team while maintaining her life in the real world. Snider has immediate aspirations to work for M & T Bank in the corporate department and has further goals to open her own sports bar.
“I ultimately want to open up my own restaurant,” Snider said. “That’s something I’ve always wanted to do growing up. It’s one of my passions.”
