Snyder one of a handful invited

Eric Snyder was a hit during his freshman season at Edison High, and was a big hit again during a big summer baseball showcase.

The 16-year-old, who began his sophomore year at Edison Wednesday, is one of 18 players from the West Coast invited to compete at the 2008 USA Baseball Under-16 national team trials.

Snyder, who plays center field, leaves Saturday for the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla. There, he and the other 17 West Coast players and 18 more from the East Coast will contend for a spot on the final 18-player roster for the 2008 16-U National Team.

He was selected from a stable of high school players who competed at the Junior Olympics West Coast tournament in Peoria and Surprise, Ariz., that concluded June 28. Snyder joined five of his Edison teammates to play for the Irvine ROX Baseball Club’s 16-U team this summer.

“It was a great tournament and it really opened my eyes to the talent that is out there,” Snyder said. “It was great to see how many other kids out there love to play baseball. Every kid was great and it was a blast.”

Snyder, a left-handed hitter and Edison’s lead-off batter who last year became the school’s record holder for hits in a single season, ripped it up again in Arizona. In eight games, a stretch in which ROX went 7-1, he went 21 for 29 with six doubles and three triples.

Eleven prep players from California were invited to the national trials. Snyder is one of three Orange County players, along with Michael Lorenzen of Anaheim and Peter Tago of Laguna Niguel.

The USA Baseball 16-U National Team trials run through Sept. 5. All players contending for a spot on the 18-player roster will go through practices and scrimmages beginning Sunday. The final team roster will be announced at a team dinner Sept. 5. The following day, the 16-U national team begins an additional week of practice in Florida, then goes on to Veracruz, Mexico to compete at the Confederation of Pan America Baseball “AA” (16-U) Pan Am Youth Championships. The tournament is a continental qualifier for the 2009 “AA” (16-U) International Baseball Federation World Championships.

The U.S. team will play its first tournament game Sept. 13. Teams from the U.S., Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, Brazil and Aruba will compete in the tournament.

USA Baseball is the National Governing Body of amateur baseball in the U.S. and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The organization selects and trains the United States Olympic baseball team and all other USA Baseball professional teams, the USA Baseball national team (collegiate), USA Baseball 18-U, 16-U, and 14-U national teams and the USA Baseball women’s national team. All teams participate in various international competitions each year.

“My goal in Miami is to play hard, be myself and be a team player,” Snyder said. “I’d love to make the team and represent our country.

“I’m just a kid who loves the game of baseball and this is a great opportunity for me. It’s the chance of a lifetime.”

During his freshman baseball season playing varsity last spring, Snyder shared the Edison Most Valuable Player award with Chargers catcher Kyle Higashioka, who was selected in June in the seventh round by the New York Yankees in the 2008 Major League First-Year Player Draft. He was also named the Sunset League’s Rookie of the Year and bumped former Edison star and current Dodger Jeff Kent for best batting average (.500) in a season. Kent had held the honor since 1985.

Snyder’s single-season hits (51) record topped the previous mark set in 1991 by 10 hits and his 106 at-bats in 2007 was also a school single-season record. He is tied for fourth in school single-season categories for doubles (10) and runs (29).

MIKE SCIACCA covers sports. He can be reached at (714) 966-4611 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.