Published: June 01, 2009 12:33 am      

Falcons sign Pellillo for golf

FAIRMONT — After careful consideration, Matt Pellillo decided there was no place like home.

The former standout Fairmont Senior High School golfer who spent the last two years honing his skills in junior college at Potomac State has signed to finish his college career at Fairmont State University.

Pellillo, who will have two years of eligibility remaining at FSU, enjoyed a solid pair of seasons for the Catamounts helping to lead them to a 12th-place finish in the junior college national tournament as a freshman and a school-record 10th place finish a few weeks ago in the same event when he fired a four-day 310 (78-82-72-78) at Goose Pond Colony Golf Club in Scottsboro, Ala.

“Coming out of high school, I didn’t have much confidence about playing Division II golf at Fairmont State,” said Pellillo. “After watching guys like Jonathan Burnside, Tyler Franklin and Justin Caroli play and hit the ball to be quite honest I didn’t know if I could cut it at that level. I really didn’t want to go there, ride the bench so to speak for a couple of years and maybe have confidence issues. Instead, I wanted to go somewhere I could play immediately and work on my game and Potomac State gave me that opportunity.”

Potomac State has one of the top programs in the country in junior college and Pellillo was able to sharpen his skills and perfect his game for two years there.

“Going there was a great experience for me,” he said. “Having the chance to go to two national tournaments was unreal. To be real honest, when I first went there I wasn’t sure what kind of talent I'd be playing with and against and I can tell you now it was some of the best players I’ve ever seen around my age. You just don't understand how good some of these guys are until you play with them or against them in a tournament.

“The best thing to come out of it for me was the fact that I was able to hang with them, which gave me confidence. It was an eye-opening experience and a great learning experience for me and now I'm ready for the challenge of playing D-II golf at Fairmont. Obviously, though, I've still got things to work on. Golf is a game in which you're constantly trying to improve in some area and I know I've still got a lot of work to do this summer on my game.”

Early this winter Pellillo was set to head south in the future and even went as far as giving a verbal commitment to Southern Wesleyan University in South Carolina. However, when his friend and former instructor Doug Comer took over the head coaching position at FSU and made a strong bid to bring Pellillo home, the youngster was forced to re-think things.

“When Mike (Walker, FSU's former coach) turned the program over to Doug we talked and he ended up making me an offer that, quite honestly, I couldn’t turn down,” said Pellillo. “That was a huge decision in my life and a nerve-racking time for me. I spent a lot of time talking with my parents and after weighing everything out we decided that it was in my best interest to attend Fairmont.

“I think overall I made a great decision and I’m excited about being a Falcon. I’m familiar with the program at Fairmont State and a lot of the guys on the team and I really think it’s going to be a smooth transition for me.”

Comer, who helped lead FSU to its second NCAA Division II National Golf Tournament appearance in the last three years and a 19th-place finish in the nation this past May, says he’s extremely pleased to have Pellillo on board for next season.

“I first met Matt a few years ago when I was giving him some lessons and helping him to prepare himself to go to junior college and I can tell you I’ve never met a kid who is more mentally driven to make himself better than he is,” said Comer. “The guy is a great athlete and he’s a proven winner. He’s going to bring a level of maturity with him to our program. He’s played in two national tournament at Potomac State, he’s faced some great players and he just continues to improve himself.

“I’m really looking forward to coaching him for two seasons. He’s the type of guy you don’t have to ask twice to do things. He’s a yes sir, no sir type of kid who is very coachable and who, along with Jeff Cunningham, will be one of our leaders next season.”

Pellillo, who will continue to major in business, brings with him a nice resume to Fairmont. He was the Top Flite Junior Tour Player of the Year in West Virginia when he was 14 years old. He was the North Central Athletic Conference’s Player of the Year as a junior at Fairmont Senior and his senior season he qualified for the state tournament. In addition, this past summer he was the runner-up to Steve VanHorn at the Homer Delovich Green Hills Open when finished with an even-par 140 in the 36-hole event. VanHorn shot a 137.