Silva Ready For ‘New Challenge’ Ahead At Cornell 

Tony Silva RHP / OF / Governors Academy , MA / 2025

DANVERS, Ma. - Baseball or football? Tony Silva was uncertain where his future was when it came to playing sports at the next level.

A baseball mishap led Silva to believing football was his path to college. But that changed in the fall and now the 38th-rated 2025 in New England is a Cornell commit.

“I always thought I’d do both football and baseball, I couldn’t let go of either,” the Governor’s Academy senior reflected. “During spring season of my sophomore year I was hit in the face with a bat and that affected my summer baseball season, so I decided to focus on football. I was having a good season, getting some big interest from Power 5 schools, and wasn’t even sure I’d play baseball, but then I broke my ankle and made the switch to baseball.

“My junior year of baseball let me know I had a shot, that I could definitely play college baseball. God had a plan for me and that shined through the injury.”

A .462 batting average to go along with a 0.84 ERA on the mound brought interest.

“Cornell contacted me first and came out to watch me,” Silva noted. “I hit 91 and after that tons of schools came to watch. It all started to roll for me.”

UMass Amherst, Holy Cross, Navy, Monmouth and Lehigh all offered, but it was the Ivy League university located in Ithaca, N.Y., five hours from home, that stood out in the eyes of Silva.

“At the end of the day I thought Cornell was best for me,” the 18th-ranked 2025 right-handed pitcher in New England said. “The ability to play freshman year, they offered me a two-way spot, you can’t go wrong with an Ivy and they have coaches that send kids to the MLB. I love the coaching and it’s solid baseball. Plus, you can’t go wrong with Ivy academics.”

There was a lot that made Silva right for Cornell.

“What they really liked about me was the athleticism, my ability to run around the field, plus my pitching ability,” the 6-3 210-pounder related. “They love that I can hit and steal bases, be a baseball player, and my projectability is big, too.”

Being a two-way player, surprisingly, was not of utmost importance for Silva.

“It wasn’t super important,” Silva related. “They said if I’d like to I could do it, if not I’d just pitch. There’s the option to switch around, play DH and pitch. I love playing baseball, it’s just fun for me, not just pitching. But most of my recruitment was from pitching.”

The seventh-rated senior RHP in Massachusetts pointed to Prep Baseball as instrumental in his recruiting process.

“Prep Baseball played a major role,” Silva explained. “I didn’t know much about it until going into my freshman year. I did well at a showcase and got ranked. I was psyched. A buzz started.

“Fast forward, I went to the Future Games. I was battling an injury, but I loved it. The amount of coaches there wasn’t like anything else. It was important to get on the map with social media and trackman. It plays a major role for kids my age and younger.”

As for Cornell, the 18-year-old is confident about making an impact.

“I can bring a lot of different things,” the 14th-ranked 2025 in Massachusetts noted. “Athleticism, energy, personality … I’m a fun guy. My energy pumps guys up. That’s what I do for Governor’s.”

A 3.8 student planning on a business major, Silva believes the challenges at an Ivy League university are nothing to be concerned about.

“The school I go to sets me up for the Ivy,” Silva explained. “It turned me into a great student and prepares me for a high-academic school.”

A commitment to Cornell was admittedly “super exciting” and not just for him but his parents, the biggest influence in his life according to Silva.

“The weight is off my shoulders,” noted Silva, who credited advisor John Murphy and Governor’s coach Rich Gilbride with being instrumental in his development and recruitment. “Work is never done, but making a commitment was a good time to relax and celebrate with family. My parents are super proud and that makes me happy. That was the goal.”

The future brings a lot to look forward to at Cornell.

“The high-level baseball, speeding things up, will be a new challenge,” Silva concluded. “It will be hard, academically and on the field, but I like challenges. And who doesn’t like college baseball? It’s awesome. This is going to be fun.”