Gabe Ruth

It may be the hardest thing to do in sports. But Wright State University slugger Gabe Snyder does it with a shrug and a smile — hit home runs.

“It’s a pure feeling, you just swing through it and don’t really feel the contact,” said Snyder, who plays first base.

Snyder has circled the bases more than any other Raider in Wright State history. On April 29 at Youngstown State, Snyder broke the school record, hitting his 43rd career home run and his 14th this season.

“I’ve never seen a player impact a program the way he’s impacted ours this season,” said Jeff Mercer, Wright State head baseball coach who played for the Raiders in the late 2000s.

Snyder also owns the career RBI record at Wright State with 204 runs batted in. He’s only 12 RBIs away from his head coach’s single-season RBI record of 74.

“If Gabe is inexplicably benched the last few games we’ll know that Mercer is keeping an eye on his record,” Bob Grant, director of athletics, said with a smile.

The Raiders are 31–15 overall and 18–6 in the Horizon League. The team has eight games remaining on its regular season schedule, including a battle with Northern Kentucky at Fifth Third Field in downtown Dayton. Ticket information is available on the Dayton Dragons’ website.