FOR SNYDER, HUNT IS ON ALL-STAR CATCHER KEEPS 'HAWKS IN HOT PURSUIT OF LEAGUE TITLE.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

LANCASTER - When he's not keeping the JetHawks in the hunt for Southern Division titles, Chris Snyder likes to be in the outdoors.

Snyder has been fishing since he was a child and took up hunting about two years ago. His specialty is duck hunting, which he does in Cady, Texas, about an hour from his home in Houston.

His mild Texas drawl becomes slightly more exaggerated when he talks about enjoying the fruits of his labor, especially after the defeathering process, which is when the real fun begins.

``First, you cut the breasts out,'' he said, ``then you put them in milk and take the blood out, and marinate them in Italian dressing overnight. Then you take half a jalapeno, put that in the duck, wrap it up in bacon and put in the broiler and you've got yourself a nice little appetizer.

``It's pretty good,'' he said with a smile.

But since coming to Lancaster for last season's second half as a second-round pick in June 2002, Snyder has been feasting on California League pitching.

He's batting .321 (71 for 221) with nine homers and 49 RBI and is among three JetHawks who will represent the team at Tuesday's California/Carolina League All-Star Game in Rancho Cucamonga.

Despite his success at the plate, Snyder takes more pride in the work he does behind it.

A finalist for last season's Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation's top defensive collegiate catcher, Snyder has been credited as much for how well he's handled the JetHawks pitching staff as for blocking balls in the dirt and throwing out would-be base stealers.

``He gives them a kick in the butt when they need it, and he gives them a pat on the back when they need it,'' JetHawks manager Mike Aldrete said.

To hear his teammates tell it, Snyder is an effective vocal leader because he has their respect.

``He takes care of all the pitchers,'' JetHawks starter Matt Henrie said. ``Everybody on the staff is real comfortable throwing to him because we have a lot of confidence in his ability. He's just a great guy to have back there.''

Snyder's ability to handle pitchers and his knowledge of the league have helped make the JetHawks pitching staff one of the league's best. Going into Tuesday, the JetHawks were sixth in the league with a 4.48 ERA, especially impressive considering they play in one of pro ball's most hitter-friendly facilities.

``When you have a pretty good staff and you've got a guy back there who can handle that staff, it makes for a good combination, and right now that's what we have,'' Aldrete said. ``He's the piece of the puzzle that makes it all come together.''

Snyder considers himself fortunate. Other than a difficult adjustment period when he began playing college ball as a freshman at Houston, he's never faced significant adversity.

But he knows others who have, including former Houston teammate Brad Sullivan, a pitcher the Oakland A's drafted in the first round of the most recent amateur draft. Sullivan was seriously injured in an automobile accident as a child and was told by doctors he might lose his vision permanently.

``He proved everybody wrong,'' Snyder said. ``He proved all the doctors wrong, and now he's a first-rounder. Just to watch him day in and day out, the stuff he does and the drive he has just pushes me.''

Snyder cites the desire to continue improving with helping him make the transition from college to pro ball appear seamless, an approach he applies to everything from baseball to his favorite offseason pastime.

``I just try to be better than I was the day before,'' he said. ``When I'm hunting, I try to kill more ducks than I did the day before.''.

Gideon Rubin [phone]

gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com

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CHRIS SNYDER

JetHawks catcher will play in California/Carolina League All-Star Game on Tuesday.