Travis Snider, Steven Souza Jr Help Refurbish Baseball Facilities at Everett, Wash. High School

EVERETT, Wash. — Although they’ve competed with each other from high school up to the Major Leagues, Travis Snider and Steven Souza, Jr. have worked together to help refurbish Cascade High School’s baseball field in their hometown.

Snider and Souza donated $2,500 each to Cascade to update its 20-year-old batting cages and purchase clay materials for the pitching mound and home plate.

It wasn’t long ago that the Rays outfielder was taking batting practice in those same cages. A native of Everett, Souza attended Cascade.

“This past fall, Steven approached me about wanting to help give back and what we could possibly need,” head coach Scott Stencil said. “We talked about some possible upgrades for our equipment and field and Steven wrote us a check to help. 

“We are very appreciative that he has taken the time to come back to his alma mater and stay involved in the Everett community.”

Snider, a graduate of Jackson High School, a few miles down the road from Cascade, also decided to pitch in making a donation to the school.

Both Souza and Snider have also been avid supporters of the local Everett Boys and Girls Club, participating in a baseball clinic earlier last year and supporting the "Healthy Choices, Healthy Children" program in 2013.

 “It’s pretty amazing and humbling to see professional athletes give back and remain connected to their past,“ Stencil said.

Through the Players Trust’s Matching Grant program, both Snider and Souza’s donations will be matched, bringing the total contribution to $10,000.

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