Grayslake Central's Snyder signs with SIU

Recent Grayslake Central graduate Aaron Snyder has signed a letter of intent to pitch for Southern Illinois University.

Snyder verbally committed to SIU last winter as a preferred walk on, minus the scholarship.

After posting monster numbers this past spring and leading the Rams to a third-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament, Snyder was a wanted commodity by many Division I schools. But the 6-foot-2 righty remained loyal to the school that first showed interest in him and will pitch for the Salukis, who play in the Missouri Valley Conference.

"We are excited to have Aaron in the Saluki family and look for him to make contributions from Day 1," longtime SIU coach Dan Callahan said. "He has great presence on the mound, is getting stronger and comes from a proven winner."

In leading the Rams to a school-record 26 wins this past spring, Snyder collected 10 wins in 70 innings pitched. He struck out 82 batters with only 19 walks and a 1.84 ERA.

"Aaron put in the effort and had the numbers to back up earning money at the D-I level," Rams coach Troy Whalen said. "He is really excited to head to Carbondale and we look forward to following his progress. He will be missed."