Today we spotlight a dual threat pitcher and power hitter who backed up one of the best players in the nation last year, but showed this summer she is a top of the rotation pitcher as well as a dangerous threat as a batter in the middle of the lineup…

Name: KYRA SNYDER
High School: Mission Viejo
City: Mission Viejo
State: 
Calif.
Grad year: 2017
Club: Beverly Bandits So Cal – Lastrapes/McGowan 16U
Position(s): pitcher/1B
GPA: 3.8
College: Louisville

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High School Info:

Mission Viejo was the Full Count Softball FAB 50 No. 1 team in the country and was led by Gatorade National Player of the Year Taylor McQuillin who was the No. 1 pitcher with Kyra backing her up.

Kyra’s breakout moment came when the Diablos played the No. 2 team in the country at the time, Pacifica High (Garden Grove, Calif.), in the championship game of the Best in the West tournament and Coach Troy Ybarra handed her the ball. The freshman led Mission Viejo to a 5-2 win giving up six hits with no walks and eight K’s in the win. Here’s more on that big game performance.

She was the DH last year earning 2^nd team All South Coast League honors and should be the starting first baseman this year as well as get innings backing up the senior McQuillin.  Kyra would be the No. 1 pitcher on most high school teams and is expected to be the ace in 2016 as a junior.

Club Info:

Kyra plays on the new Beverly Bandits So Cal team coached by Dave Lastrapes and Jay McGowan which has seven D1 commits with six being 2017’s and one being a 2018. The team should be one of the best 16U teams in the nation.

Las summer, when the team was the OC Batbusters-Lastrapes/McGowan team, Kyra led the Batbusters to a 7^th place finish at ASA Nationals in San Diego where she won five games in the circle and hit over .500. The Batbusters also finished 3^rd at the Colorado Sparkler Tournament at the 14U level and tied for 33^rd at PGF Nationals.

In fall play, Kyra led the team innings pitched, ERA and strikeouts and hit .475 leading the Bandits in batting average, hits, extra base hits, home runs and RBI hitting in the middle of the order.

Good Bloodlines:

Kyra’s mother received a softball scholarship to play at UC Riverside after earning JC All State honors from Orange Coast College. She played at UCR during the 1994 and 1995 seasons as a pitcher and 1B.

Recruiting:

The sophomore from Lake Forest, Calif. committed on September 2 to the University of Louisville after a Labor Day weekend unofficial visit.  She received offers from San Diego State and Utah State along with interest from Pac-12, Big 12, and Big Ten

According to her father, Bill: “Kyra has a strong desire to go away to college and Louisville fits all the characteristics that she is looking for in a university.  She also wanted to attend a school where she would be given the opportunity to both pitch and hit. Kyra does not want to specialize as she has invested a ton of time and effort in both.  She believes that she will be successful at both in college.  Louisville joining the ACC this school year was also a factor in her decision.”