When asked to describe the Chico State baseball team’s season this year, junior outfielder Cody Snider replied with one word: “Energetic.”

Snider has been one of the catalysts for a team that is currently in second place in the CCAA North Division. He is known among his teammates for giving his all in every game and enjoying himself in the process.

“He’s just going out there and having a good time and he’s locked in,” said junior pitcher Dalton Erb. “When you’re locked in but are also having fun, you get good results.”

Snider seems genuinely excited to play baseball at the college level, and the team seems to see Snider’s energy and reciprocate it. In a game against UC San Diego on March 26, the Wildcats were down until the ninth inning when Snider scored the winning run. He also made a huge throw in the eighth inning to home plate to keep the game tied, and he was also hit by a pitch in the ninth to spark the game-winning rally.

“He’s been playing with confidence that he’s getting from both the team and coaching staff,” said sophomore infielder Cameron Santos. “He also has a lot of fun and it’s contagious.”

It’s hard to deny both Santos and Erb’s statements when you look at the results. Snider is currently batting .319 and only has two fielding errors on the year. The team is having a great season so far, and they are in position to make a deep run in the postseason.

Born in Couer D’Alene, Idaho, Snider knew right away that he wanted to play college baseball in sunny California due to the fact that there were few good college teams in Idaho. He has had ties with California for as long as he can remember as his parents have owned a vineyard in Napa Valley since he was a child. The winery is named Beau Vigne, which is “beautiful vine” in French. The winery has become so popular that his family decided to sell their Idaho home and move to California permanently.

Coming out of high school, Snider originally played college ball at the University of San Francisco. After two years at the school, he decided to transfer to Chico State because of its winning culture and the need for new players on the team.

“I wanted to be a part of a different program. We’re notorious for winning and Coach Taylor is really competitive,” Snider said. “I checked it all out and was so excited to join the team.”

Through his play this season, Snider has helped to give the team a reason to be excited as well.

Patrick Pace can be reached at [email protected] or @PatPaceSports on Twitter.