Currently the coach with the longest tenure in the Peach Belt Conference and the only coach in the league to have coached since the PBC's inception, USC Aiken head softball coach Jerry Snyder finished his 24th season at the helm of the Pacer program in 2011.

Snyder has compiled a record of 577-569 in his 24 years at the helm of the Pacer softball program.

USC Aiken concluded the 2011 softball season by making its second appearance in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional in the last three years.

The Pacers finished the 2011 season with a record of 26-18. The Pacers ended play in the extremely tough Peach Belt Conference with a record of 9-11.

USC Aiken opened the 2010 season ranked in the top 15 in the nation. USC Aiken advanced to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals for the second consecutive year before ending the year with an overall record of 23-23.

The 2009 season was Snyder's best. USC Aiken concluded the 2009 campaign a program-best 12th in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Top 25 poll of 2009.

The first Pacer squad to participate in the NCAA Division II Tournament, USC Aiken ended the 2009 campaign with a 34-16 record. The Pacers' 2009 mark garnered the 2009 USC Aiken softball team the best winning percentage (.680) in program history.

USC Aiken's 34 victories in 2009 tied them for second in program history for the most wins in a single season. The 2009 Pacers also tied the school record for the fewest runs allowed (139), equaling the 2006 team for the fewest runs given up as a team in a single season in school history.

The 2009 campaign was an incredibly special year for the Pacers with Snyder earning his 500th career win earlier in the year.

The win was just a sign of things to come for the Pacers as they continued to embark on one of the greatest seasons in school history. After splitting with UNC Pembroke on Feb. 15 to claim that special 500th victory, USC Aiken went on to earn its first ever national ranking en route to its first ever NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.

The second game win over UNCP led to a season-high eight-game winning streak and the stretch helped USC Aiken to claim a victory in 12 of its next 13 games to stand at 18-7 after a 4-0 win over Tusculum on March 8.

The Pacers would go 13-5 the rest of the regular season to earn the second spot in the Southeast region by the start of the 2009 Peach Belt Conference Tournament in Florence, S.C.

The Pacers ended the year ranked in the final five NFCA polls, entering the poll for the first time in school history at No. 24 on April 8.

The sixth Snyder team to claim 30 or more victories in a single season, the 2009 Pacers advanced to the 2009 Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship game before falling to NCAA Division II softball championship semifinalist and third-ranked North Georgia.

In the top 35 all-time for NCAA Division II coaches in career wins, Snyder was appointed to the head coaching position at USC Aiken in 1988 shortly after being hired as an assistant coach.

He became involved in softball when he was 12-years-old when his father taught him how to pitch. He went on to play for a men's fastpitch softball team in his hometown of Short Gap, W. Va.

Snyder began gaining coaching experience in recreation leagues in Aiken while he was a young man. He also served as a volunteer assistant coach at North Augusta High School. He primarily worked with the pitchers for Beth Meyer's Lady Jackets squad.

Prior to becoming head coach at USC Aiken, Snyder worked at the Savannah River Site for EI Dupont until 1987 when he decided to return to college to get his degree.

He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education from USC Aiken in 1991 and earned his Master's in Sports Science from the United States Sports Academy in 1995.

Snyder says he has several memories and highlights from his time at USC Aiken, but he is most proud of the record of his students in the classroom and after they have left his program.

"The biggest highlight since I have been here is that my players have graduated and have gone on with their lives to become successful people," Snyder said. "You should measure your success with what your student-athletes do in the classroom, instead of what they do on the field."

The program has posted 20-win seasons in 17 of the past 18 seasons.

During his time as head coach, the Pacer program has had 17 All-Conference players, a Peach Belt Player of the Year, three Peach Belt Freshmen of the Year, eight All-Region players and an All-American.

The program has also had four players honored as CoSIDA Academic All-District selections.

Snyder and his wife Kelly have two sons, Tony and James. The Snyder family resides in Aiken, S.C.

Erin Ward is entering her fourth season as the Pacers assistant softball coach. Her main duties at USC Aiken are assisting in on-field instruction and recruiting.

Ward has helped guide the Pacers to the NCAA Division II Tournament in two of the last three seasons. She also helped the Pacers earn their first ever national ranking in 2009.

Prior to joining the USC Aiken softball program, Ward was a successful 18U SC X-Treme travel softball team head coach in Summerville, S.C. for three seasons. She was able to recruit highly competitive players that contributed to placing in the top-two spots in 75 percent of the tournaments in which her teams competed.

Ward coached two future all-Americans and saw 91 percent of her players go on to receive a softball scholarship, including five of them that came to USC Aiken.

"Erin brings an excellent knowledge of the game of softball to our program," Snyder noted. "She has a high level of enthusiasm and expects perfection from the players she works with. She has a great eye for talent and has an abundance of connections in the travel ballranks up and down the east coast. Erin is a perfect fit for our program and is a vital piece of the puzzle of our success."

Ward was so successful that her team of 16-under won the ISA World Series held in Florence, SC in 2004. She also assisted in expanding the organization from one team to six.

Before taking over the 18U SC X- Treme program, Ward was the Head Softball Coach at Ashley Hall School in Charleston, S.C. where she was responsible for the everyday operations of the team.

Ward was also the Head Coach at the Summerville Little League in Summerville, S.C. where she oversaw the entire league, major and minor league teams. She was responsible for developing basic softball skills in young players.

Ward played collegiate ball at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, W. Va. where her team was crowned the conference champions in 1996.

Ward graduated from Thomas Edison State College in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering and technology. She completed a five-year tour of duty in the United States Navy aboard the USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75) from 1997-2001.

William Dyches enters his eighth season as a volunteer assistant coach at USC Aiken in 2012. He started helping Coach Snyder when his granddaughter, Ashley Dyches, was a Pacer from 2004-07.

Dyches is a retiree from the Aiken County School District as the Area 1 plumber. He is the husband of Mary Ann Dyches.

Dyches enjoys coaching and helping out around the softball field. He also is involved in helping his grandchildren in basketball at Midland Valley in Aiken, S.C. and Richmond Academy in Augusta, Ga.