Bio

When Preston Snavely takes the mound for Owlz spring training, no one will mistake him. He's a big dude with a big chance to feel like Northern Colorado's native son once again.

He's from Fort Collins, but he's been a stranger since 2016. That's about the same time he was representing the 970 on the showcase scene. After his junior year of high school, he pitched at the Area Code Games for the Reds team, which represented the Four Corners states. The next summer, with his Lambkins career complete, some Rockies scouts selected Snavely for their All-Star/Futures Game. He didn't disappoint, delivering a pair of strikeouts in one inning of work on a beautiful June afternoon at Coors Field.

Since that time, he's been away at Wichita State, developing and dealing in a starting role. He threw almost 115 innings in his first three years, but he was really spinning it to start his senior season.

Snavely went 2-1 in four starts to kick off '20. His ERA sat at a terrific 2.95. He'd fanned four batters for every one he walked. He worked his WHIP down to 1.08. His team won 13 straight games. His expectations, for both his school and himself, were higher than ever.

"And then it all got canceled."

You know what happened. And it stalled Snavely's upward trajectory. Following those four fantastic starts, D1Baseball.com listed the six-foot-five-inch righty among the Top 150 Starting Pitchers of that shortened season.

But … on to the next one. As a super-senior Shocker, he had a "pretty good" year. Overall, Snavely carried a 4-7 record and a 5.45 ERA after pitching 67.2 innings. The composed Coloradoan did set 60 poor suckers down on strikes. That's compared to just 25 walks, which helped him whip up a WHIP of 1.54. Snavely served up four-straight quality starts between March 19th and April 9th, going 2-1 with 23 strikeouts and just four walks during that stretch

The big man's biggest attributes were his approach and his aura. He knew what worked for him, and batters knew it when they faced him.

"I just had a presence when I stepped out there," the 23-year-old said. "I don't really talk a whole lot, but I'm a big dude. I was an older guy with some leadership qualities and I just did my thing. It was about just kind of having that presence."

That fifth season as a Shocker stands as the last one Snavely's seen, meaning it's been a year since he's pitched in a meaningful baseball game.

So if you get the chance to see him do it in Northern Colorado, just know his hometown is still a proving ground.

"I haven't played in a game in a while. So there is a little bit of something to prove," Snavely said," but's more to myself than to anyone else."