RON SNIDER
Baseball, 1976-79
February 19, 2000

Ron Snider was the starting first baseman in all 156 games of a four-year career with the baseball Bears and finished in 1979 as the SMS career record holder in games (156), at bats (510), hits (172), doubles (34), triples (12), walks (70), game-winning RBIs (14), putouts (1,167), total chances (1,253) and double plays (95).  He also ranked second in career runs (115), runs batted in (126), extra-base hits (56) and total bases (260); third in sacrifice hits (12); fourth in fielding average (.988); fifth in slugging (.510); and sixth in home runs (10) and batting average (.337).  A native of St. Charles, Mo., Snider was a four-year MIAA honoree, winning all-league honorable mention in 1977, second team honors in 1976 and 1978, and all-MIAA first team in 1979.  Named SMS Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 1976, Snider was an SMS co-captain in 1979 and was SMS Most Valuable Player and MIAA Player of the Year as a senior.  He earned all-district second team honors in 1978 and first team selection in 1979, and was one of two Bears picked for an NCAA Division II all-star team that went to Mexico in 1978.  Snider was an NCAA/ABCA third team All-America selection in 1979 and received the SMS Virgil Cheek Athletic Achievement Award at his graduation in 1979.  Snider helped the Bears of coach Bill Rowe into NCAA Division II tourney play each of his last three seasons as the Bruins combined for a 102-54 record in those years.  SMS reached Division II regional tournaments in 1977 in Mankato, Minn., and in 1978 and 1979 at Meador Park.  The 1978 Bears won a regional championship to advance to the Division II World Series in Springfield, Ill., and the 1979 Bears captured the final SMS MIAA title with a league championship series win over Northwest Missouri State.