Heartly Snyder says she considered walking away from softball after she graduated from Dale High School. But fortunately for her and the Connors State softball program, she changed her mind.
“I had a pretty good career at Dale. We went to the state fast pitch tournament every year and won the title my last two years,” said Heartly (actually that’s her middle name which her parents got from a street sign), “but I wasn’t sure I wanted to play anymore. But with some help from (Dale coach Andy) Powell I got hooked up with Connors and it worked out and I felt like God put me in the right spot at the right time.”
She had a great season at Connors her freshman year hitting .401 with 15 homers and 63 RBIs while moving from her high school position of left field to center field.
“I really enjoyed my first year at Connors. The girls were just amazing and we hung out all the time and had great chemistry on the field. It was a confidence building year for me. I was afraid of hitting the wall chasing a fly ball, afraid of being hit by a pitch, but I got past that as the season went along and understood that even getting hit by a pitch was a benefit for the team. And I was still close enough to Dale that I could come back and hang with my friends there often.”
Cowgirls coach Bobby Foreman is also pleased with the way things have turned out.
“From day one she’s been impressive on and off the field. She adapted to the move to center field easily and I think this coming year she can be a 20-20 player (20 homers and 20 stolen bases) and potentially be a D-I player in the future.”
Academically, Heartly has made the adjustment well just like she did on the diamond.
“Here you really have to buckle down more than in high school because you don’t see your teacher every day but they’re very supportive for the sports teams and are willing to help you succeed if you email them with a question.”
Her goals for the coming year are pretty simple.
“On the field I need to be better about laying off the high rise ball but more importantly, I’d like to get my teammates more involved in things like FCA to help us all continue our walk with the Lord and do amazing things.”
