Tyler

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. has parted ways with two of its athletic department employees, who once held positions at Shepherd.

UMW Athletic Director Ken Tyler and baseball coach Wayne Riser did not have their contracts renewed, when they expired at the school this past June.

Tyler had coached men’s basketball at Shepherd, while also holding a position as an assistant athletic director for several years. When he left Shepherd, Tyler became the athletic director at West Virginia Wesleyan. Upon leaving the Buckhannon-based school, Tyler was hired as the athletic director at the University of Mary Washington.

It was Tyler who was in place as athletic director at UMW when he hired Riser to coach the Eagles’ baseball team.

Riser was UMW head baseball coach for the past seven seasons. His overall record at the Virginia school was 147-117-1, and his best record came in 2015 when the Eagles had a 25-5 regular season record and were 27-7 overall upon completion of the conference tournament.

Riser

The Eagles were 15-22 for the 2019 season, Riser’s second non-winning record in his seven-year tenure at UMW.

While at Shepherd, Riser had a 512-394-2 overall record. His teams at Shepherd won conference regular season championships, conference tournament titles and were invited to NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional tournaments, once hosting such a postseason event at Fairfax Field on the school’s campus.

Riser had consistently upgraded Shepherd’s venerable baseball facility. He is a Shepherd graduate and former baseball player for the Rams.

Mary Washington has named the school’s head women’s tennis coach, Patrick Catullo, as its interim athletic director, but had not named a coaching replacement for Riser as of August 1.

The 52-year old Riser, a graduate of Hedgesville High School, had not taken another college coaching position as of Aug. 1.