Skyhawks prepare for present by settling future

     By Todd Dewey
     View staff writer
      While Silverado High School's six Division I baseball signees chose their respective schools for several different reasons, all of them agree that signing early alleviated a lot of pressure.
      "The reason I signed early is I had to get the pressure off my back and focus on the season, rather than worry about college," said catcher Tommy Rojas, who is headed to Pepperdine University in the fall. "I'm more focused on the season now and more focused on winning state this year."
      Several of his fellow college-bound teammates feel the same way.
      "(Signing early) kind of takes the pressure off, because I chose my college already," said James Wickman, who will attend UNLV. "Now I can just focus on winning state and having fun."
      Shortstop Ryan Ruiz, who is also headed to UNLV, agreed.
      "(I signed early) basically not to have to worry about it and to focus on winning a state championship, first and foremost," he said.
      The reasons each player decided to attend their respective college range from the campus atmosphere to the school's academic integrity to the tradition of the baseball program.
      Rojas said he chose Pepperdine, in part, for its picturesque campus.
      "It's a beautiful campus," he said. "You can't pick a better one. Also, academic-wise, it's a great school to go to."
      Wickman, who carries a 4.3 grade-point average, chose UNLV, in part, for its business school.
      "I could have went to another school (with my grades), but UNLV was as good as any other school for business," he said. "I've always wanted to play at UNLV ever since I was a little kid going to their games."
      Wickman's twin brother, Joe, who also carries a GPA above 4.0, has played alongside his brother his entire life and wasn't about to go anywhere else.
      "It just seemed like a great opportunity," Joe Wickman said. "It has everything I wanted. I like the school, the program, the coaches, everything."
      Silverado coach Brian Whitaker said one reason his players attracted the attention of Division I schools is their work in the classroom.
      "Something we're real proud of out here is we're the two-time defending academic state champions, and we hope to three-peat in that," Whitaker said. "I think it pays off with all the Division I baseball programs coming in here and looking at our kids. They want student-athletes like that in their programs."
      Ruiz decided to sign with the Rebels to stay close to home.
      "I wanted to go to UNLV because I wanted to play in front of my folks," he said. "And they gave me a good offer and I like the coaches a lot."
      Left-handed pitcher Robbie Van, who will also play for the Rebels, is glad he won't have to pay off any student loans in the future.
      "It was an offer I couldn't turn down," he said. "They have a good facility, it's close to home and it will be nice not having to worry about payments for college later on.
      "(I signed early) just to get it out of the way, so I could concentrate on the high school season."
      First baseman Jeremy West -- a slugger who attracted the interest of several prominent Division I schools -- signed with Arizona State University after his junior year because he always wanted to play for the Sun Devils.
      "They have a great baseball tradition and I like the way they work," he said.
      West, who hit a team-high .576 and six home runs last year, is also relieved to have already made his decision.
      "The pressure's all off you -- and the stress," he said. "(Now) I've just got to think about the season and winning state."
      While Whitaker is happy his players earned college scholarships, he doesn't advocate signing early.
      "It alleviates worrying about where they're going to go to school, but I don't suggest signing early unless they feel like the situation's right for them," he said.
      Now that six of Silverado's starters know where they'll be attending college in the fall, their focus is on winning the school's first-ever state baseball title.
      But the team with the high grade-point and batting average is smart enough to know it'll have plenty of competition in talent-rich Southern Nevada.
      "I feel like we have as good a chance as anybody, but if we don't play well, there are a lot of other good teams out there who could easily beat us," Joe Wickman said. "It's real exciting to see what's gonna happen this year. There are a lot of tough teams and there is a lot of good talent around the state."