When it came to selecting her college destination, Kelli Snyder had some requirements. Her school of choice had to be smaller, close to home and offer the opportunity to come in and immediately play softball without having to spend her first season sitting on the bench.

Snyder considered Western Washington University, Oregon Institute of Technology and Portland State University. But she ultimately signed a letter of intent to play at Willamette University in Salem beginning this fall.

“I chose Willamette because it isn’t overcrowded and it’s close to home,” said Snyder, who recently helped Kelso win the Class 4A state fastpitch tournament. “The student-to-teacher ratio is about 14-1 and the instructors know their students by name. I’ve also met the girls on the softball team, and they all are really nice.”

Snyder, an honor-roll student who lettered as a softball catcher all four years at Kelso, is a two-time all-Greater St. Helens League catcher who played in four state tournaments and helped the Lassies to a fourth-place finish as a freshman.

“Most of Willamette’s games are doubleheaders, and the coach (Damian Williams) said I would start some of the games,” Snyder said. “They had two catchers this season, but the coach is going to move one of them to another position.”

Willamette is an NCAA Division III school competing in the nine-team Northwest Conference, along with Lewis and Clark, George Fox, Linfield and Pacific in Oregon, and the Puget Sound, Pacific Lutheran, Whitman and Whitworth in Washington.

The Bearcats finished this season ranked 21st in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III poll, and were second in the conference with a 29-6 record.

“I’ve been talking with the coach for about a year, and he was responsible for getting me a lot of the money in academic scholarships to go there,” Snyder said. “It’s going to cost about $45,000 a year to attend, but I’m getting about $32,000 in scholarships.”

Snyder plans to study chemistry, but said her father is encouraging her to consider a degree in law.

“I might give it a try to make him happy,” she added. “I’m glad that I’m going to be close so my parents can come and see me play, and I can also come home on the weekends.”