May 8, 2014
THE FLATS – Michael Pisciotta, ranked as high as No. 1 in the state of Georgia and 17th nationally during the past year, has signed a letter-of-intent to play golf at Georgia Tech.
Pisciotta (pronounced puh-SHO-tuh), who attends Alpharetta High School, becomes the fourth player in the class of 2014 to cast his lot with the Yellow Jackets and head coach Bruce Heppler, joining James Clark III of Columbus, Ga., Jacob Joiner of Leesburg, Ga., and Chris Petefish of Danville, Calif.
Petefish enrolled at Tech for the spring semester, and the others will enroll for the fall semester. All four are ranked among the nation’s top 100 junior players in all classes, and in the top 50 of the class of 2014, by the Junior Golf Scoreboard.
“We’re excited to have Michael join our program,” said Heppler. “He’s grown up at the Golf Club of Georgia and has had a birds-eye view of our program and our guys for a while. He’s one of the best junior players in America, and it’s nice to have someone like that grow up in our back yard. He served as an AJGA player representative in 2013, the first of our guys to do that since Roberto Castro was here, so he has some leadership qualities and gets involved.”
Pisciotta also was recognized for doing charity work, raising money for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, when he received the Paul S. Simon Character Award at the 2013 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club, one of the nation’s premier amateur events.
Pisciotta is currently ranked No. 43 among all classes, and 20th in the class of 2014, by the Junior Golf Scoreboard. He is the No. 1-ranked player in the state of Georgia in this year’s class. He has earned six top-10 finishes in junior events over the past three years, including a victory at the 2011 AJGA Huntsville Junior, and four other top-20 finishes.
“I’ve always wanted to play for Coach (Bruce) Heppler and Georgia Tech,” Pisciotta said at the time of his verbal commitment to the Yellow Jackets. “Coach Heppler explained to me the advantages of the program, not only its great golf history and the success of its players after graduation, but the opportunity for a great education. He helped me understand how being a smarter, well-rounded person will make me a more successful competitor. It feels great to be part of the Georgia Tech golf team.”
Tech’s incoming freshmen will join four returning letterwinners from a team that is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index and has won five tournaments this year, including the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship.
Tech Signees in the Junior Golf Scoreboard (class of 2014, as of May 7)
Chris Petefish, Danville, Calif. – No. 19
Michael Pisciotta, Alpharetta, Ga. – No. 20
Jacob Joiner, Leesburg, Ga. – No. 37
James Clark III, Columbus, Ga. – No. 43
About Georgia Tech Golf
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 19th year under head coach Bruce Heppler. The Yellow Jackets have won 15 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 27 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up four times. Connect with Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on Twitter (@GT_Golf). For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
