Silverado senior inks letter-of-intent

     By W.G. Ramirez
     View staff writer
      As a sophomore, Silverado High School's Tiffany Finateri played second fiddle to standout softball pitcher LaMeka Anderson.
      Last year, with Anderson graduated, she was thrust into the spotlight and looked upon to strum the same winning tune Anderson had played for three years.
      And with her senior campaign about 12 weeks away, Finateri appears to have done all things necessary to make as sweet a sound that Skyhawk fiddle has ever made.
      "With Meka gone (last season), I think I did a pretty good job," Finateri said. "But this year I think I'll do a lot better."
      There won't be any side distractions, she said, since she inked a letter-of-intent to play softball for Boston University two weeks ago.
      "It's a lot easier now, there was a lot of stress," she said. "It's been a relief to get it over with."
      Finateri said she chose one of the nation's premier research universities over Holy Cross, West Point and Colgate, schools from which she hadn't received any official offers but with whom she did maintain correspondence.
      The 5-foot-6, right-handed, all-Southern Conference hurler said it came down to Holy Cross and Boston, which she will attend on a full scholarship.
      "Most of it was because of the team, it was really close," said Finateri, who was 16-4 with five saves for the Skyhawks last season. "When you go there, it's not like you're the new kid on the block, they accept freshmen right way. And they also have a good program for my major (sports medicine)."
      Finateri, who has family in nearby Connecticut, moved to Southern Nevada from California the day before her freshman year started.
      Little did she know, however, she would eventually be playing for not only the perennial high school softball favorite, but also a tenacious tyrant in head coach Chuck Pope.
      "She really did have to live up to some expectations by playing behind Meka, but I must say, looking back, she handled it well," Pope said. "Tiffany took the brunt of the pressure last season, and she proved she didn't have to fill anyone's shoes, only a leadership role."
      A big difference, Pope explained, since Finateri took it upon herself to alleviate any comparisons between her and Anderson. Instead of trying to duplicate Anderson's feats, she simply took on the task of maintaining consistency on the mound.
      In 136 innings, Finateri allowed 34 earned runs, good enough for a 1.75 ERA. Along the way, she struck out 95 batters and gave up only 1.49 hits per inning.
      "Since I was new, developing a working relationship with her was a challenge," said catcher Stormy Hanson, who transferred to Silverado as a junior. "But once we got in sync, we pretty much gelled really good together.
      "Tiff is a strong-willed person who takes the game very serious. Last year she had to accept carrying a huge burden as our No. 1 pitcher and she did the job quite well."
      Finateri said Hanson eased the tension of becoming the Skyhawks' leader last season.
      "With her as my catcher, we had to think exactly alike," Finateri said. "Her attitude and mine always go perfect together. If I'm having a bad day, she'll find anything to say and get me to pitch my pitch. She knows how to get me to do good by doing crazy stuff like singing to me from behind the plate or something."
      Finateri said she wouldn't have been as tough mentally without Hanson on the team.
      "My sophomore year, Meka taught me what I need to know," she said. "And then last year it was a matter of doing it again, and Stormy was the one who helped me do it."
      Finateri and Hanson spent the past six months playing travel ball for Pope on the nationally ranked Vegas Stars, a time frame in which she said she gained much needed experience and exposure.
      It was in July, while on tour with the Stars, that coaches from Boston saw Finateri participate in a camp that more than 300 college coaches attended.
      "As soon as I came out of that recruiting camp in Colorado, (a scholarship) became realistic," said Finateri, who maintains a 3.79 grade point average. "When I saw all those coaches lined up at the fence, it just clicked."
      Now, with the Stars' fall and winter schedule nearing an end (which includes the locally held Las Vegas Rage Tournament on Dec. 5 and 6), Finateri said she can concentrate on the biggest goal of her high school career.
      "Win state," she said. "This is my senior year, and I'm not going to rush anything. I'll take it one step at a time, but the big thing is state. We don't have the best talent, but as long as we're out there wanting to play, we'll be alright. We're going to be good."
      Both Pope and Hanson said the defending Southern Conference champion Skyhawks have as good a chance as any other team to win state, especially with Finateri on the mound.
      "With last year's experience, and this summer's success on the Stars, I think Tiffany is ready to dominate in her senior season," Hanson said.