It's baseball, not football, for Jackson's Snider

Last spring at a baseball awards banquet, Travis Snider was debating whether his athletic future was in baseball or football.

Snider, then a junior, was a sought-after recruit in both sports despite missing the entire football season with a broken leg. - College Football -

He would play both sports, he figured, go through the recruiting process, then make his decision during his senior year.

When Jackson High School began football practice last week, however, it became evident that Snider had made his decision earlier than expected.

On Wednesday, Snider showed up at Jackson's season-opening practice and told his teammates what the coaching staff already knew: He was going to give upfootball for his senior season in order to concentrate on baseball. - College Football -

"It was tough to have to tell those guys I wasn't going play," said Snider, who has appeared on some preseason all-state lists. "I was sure all of last year that I was going to playfootball . Going out there on Friday nights in front of a packed house, there's no feeling like that in baseball. But baseball is my love, it's always been what I wanted to do.

"It was the toughest decision I've ever had to make. It helped that I had the support of my teammates and coaches. They were all understanding." - College Football -

Snider, who started at linebacker and defensive end as a freshman and sophomore, would have likely been the starting running back this year.

"Obviously, we'll miss his level of play and his leadership," said Jackson football coach Joel Vincent. "At the same time, I understand that if he wants to play baseball in college or the pros, this is probably the right decision for him." - College Football -

Last spring, Snider hit .524 with six home runs, 12 doubles and 26 runs batted in during the regular season and helped the Timberwolves to the state semifinals.

Snider is planning visits to Arizona, Arizona State, Cal State Fullerton, Texas A&M and Washington this fall. But he is likely to be selected in baseball's amateur draft, meaning he'll have another tough decision on his hands come June. - College Football -

"I'm going to miss it, the Friday night lights, the guys," he said. "It was tough to give up being part of that program."

John Boyle
Seattle Times