Giana Yaniero
Sport: Softball
School: Rutherford
Class: Junior. Age: 16
Accomplishment: Yaniero had a 20-strikeout perfect game last Monday when Rutherford beat North Arlington, 9-0. She completed another perfect game on Tuesday in a five-inning, 13-0 victory over Ridgefield.
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Story by Sean Farrell / NorthJersey.com
The first time was unexpected.
The second was unimaginable.
Rutherford ace Giana Yaniero threw perfect games on back-to-back days last week before tossing a two-hit shutout in her subsequent start.
Trying to become softball’s version of Johnny Vander Meer could intimidate some, but not Yaniero. She was too busy striking out 20 of 21 batters in the opening act on Monday to sense the accomplishment at hand.
“It was very exciting when my coach told me,” Yaniero said. “When I’m in the game, I’m focused on the game. I’m not really paying attention to what my stats are going to look like afterward or how I’m doing individually. I’m just trying get through the game first.”
By now, Yaniero has turned a once-in-a-lifetime feat into a common occurrence. The junior righty has fired off four perfect games and four no-hitters (combined or individual) since fast-tracking her way to the varsity circle in the spring of 2022.
While Yaniero likes to focus on the batter at-hand, her father Marc has archived every step with a case of balls, awards and medals from across the years. Rutherford coach Cherryl Bott added to the collection by handing over the game ball from Monday’s perfecto against North Arlington. (The only Viking to make contact was on a bunt to the third-base side.)
Following it up with five 1-2-3 innings against Ridgefield put the spotlight on Yaniero.
“The whole school was like, you’re going to get three in a row,” Yaniero said. “I started thinking about it, but it was hard to when they were bunting every single ball.”
Yaniero is committed to play at Saint Peter’s and wants to study accounting at the Hudson County school. Her father played football for the Peacocks and took a lot of pride two years ago when the country fell in love with his basketball team.
Giana may still be playing hoops if not for a childhood disease called Osgood-Schlatter. It used to cause her knee pain after a lot of running.
“My doctor told me I had to pick one sport,” Yaniero said. “My parents were like, honestly, you should stick with softball. So from there on, I kept practicing.”
This year has shown that practice makes perfect. Yaniero went into Thursday with a 0.33 ERA, having scattered two earned runs and 15 hits over 43 innings.
During the offseason, Yaniero trained twice a week with the Kaboom Softball club team, doing a mix of plyometrics, conditioning and pitching drills. Since then, she’s added a little more velocity on the fastball, which went from 58 to topping out at 62 MPH.
“She got a lot stronger in the offseason,” Bott said. “She hit the weight room and she has a little more pop this year, a lot more movement and a lot more confidence in the team behind her. It helps. When we put a couple runs on the board, it definitely makes her a little bit stronger.”
Of course, Yaniero doesn’t only have to rely on her teammates to generate offense. She had a .530 average through the first eight games and showed good plate discipline while batting out of the No. 2 spot. As an upperclassman, Yaniero has taken it upon herself to step up and set an example for Rutherford (5-2-1).
So far, so good.
“Everything she’s gotten, she’s worked for,” Bott said. “She’s really evolved into a leader and a really good teammate.”
