College Coaches Skills Camp - Shepherd University Shepherdstown, WV

College Coaches Skills Camp
Featuring Wayne Riser

Wayne Riser is entering his 19th season as the head coach of the Rams. Riser has posted a 410-315-2 (.565) record over his 18-year career. Riser, the all-time winningest coach in any sport at Shepherd, reached the 400-win milestone when Shepherd handed Columbia Union a 12-2 setback in April 2008. He was inducted into the Shepherd Athletic Hall of Fame in September 2008.

The 2008 Shepherd squad posted a 29-21 overall mark and became the 13th team under Riser to post 20 wins or more.

Riser's 2006 team posted a 34-18 overall mark en route to WVIAC Northern Division title honors. The Rams set numerous team and individual records and advanced to the NCAA II North Atlantic Regionals for the third time under Riser.

The 2005 squad recorded 19 wins and gained Shepherd's eighth WVIAC Northern Divisonal title over his career.

Riser's 2004 squad won 14 of its last 18 games, including its last seven games en route to posting a 24-17 mark and gaining WVIAC title honors for the first time during his tenure.

The 2003 team recorded a 25-18 mark and gained WVIAC Northern Division title honors for the seventh time under Riser.

Riser's 2002 squad set numerous team marks with a 37-12-1 record. Shepherd earned WVIAC Northern Division title honors and advanced to the NCAA II North Atlantic Regionals. Shepherd's stellar season earned Riser WVIAC Coach of the Year honors.

The 2001 team posted a 25-19 mark and captured the WVIAC Northern Division title. The Rams also finished the year as WVIAC Tournament Runner-up.

The Rams finished the 1999 season with a 24-19 record, marking the sixth consecutive year of 20 wins or more under Riser.

Under Riser's guidance, the Rams have become a force on the national scene as their 39-7 record in 1997 brought with it the highest NCAA II ranking in school history plus the first-ever trip to the North Atlantic Regionals. Shepherd's banner year earned Riser was tabbed WVIAC Coach of the Year and Mid Atlantic Major League Scouts Association College Coach of the Year honors.

Shepherd was listed among the elite of Collegiate Baseball's NCAA II rankings for the last seven weeks of the season as the Rams set a school record with 39 victories on the year.

The 1994 season brought with it a 22-14 record and the WVIAC Northern Division title, the first championship of any kind for the Shepherd baseball program since 1984. Riser received WVIAC Coach of the Year honors in 1994.

The Rams continued their resurgence in 1995, posting a 20-18 record and advancing to the WVIAC Playoffs for the second straight year.

The 1996 season marked the first time in school history the Rams had posted three consecutive 20-win seasons, while the WVIAC Playoff berth was also their third straight. This was also a program first.

In 1997 the Rams saw the hard work and determination pay off. Under Riser's leadership, the Rams ended the season with the best winning percentage in Division II baseball after going several weeks with the best winning percentage in Divisions I, II, and III.

The Rams rebounded from a 7-12 start in 1998, winning 16 of their last 17 regular season games to win the WVIAC Northern Division title for the second straight year.

In his 18 seasons at Shepherd, Riser has coached 37 First Team All-WVIAC and 29 All-North Atlantic Region selections. He has also coached six All-Americans, three Academic All-Americans, three Regional Players of the Year and a Regional Pitcher of the Year. Numerous players have gone on to play professionally.

Riser, who also serves as facilities coordinator for the Butcher Athletic Center, served for two years as an assistant coach for the Rams after playing two seasons in the Blue and Gold. A reserve outfielder and part-time pitcher, Riser posted a 2-0 record on the mound for the Rams after transferring from Henderson State University (AR).

Riser has personally upgraded the baseball facilities at Shepherd to the point where Fairfax Field is now the premier playing facility in the WVIAC. The field sparkles with an electronic scoreboard, dugouts, a press box, and other modalities that clearly set it apart from the other baseball-playing facilities in the conference. Recent additions include a new bullpen area and storage facility.

Riser was president of the WVIAC Coaches Association from 1994-97.

After serving as a member of the NCAA Division II Baseball Committee and named chair of the North Atlantic Regional Committee for two years, Riser recently completed a stint as chair of the NCAA Division II Baseball Committee.

As coordinator of the Butcher Center, Riser is responsible for marketing, managing, and supervising the University's main athletic and recreation facility and the handling of its day-to-day operations.

Riser graduated from Shepherd in 1989 with a bachelor of arts degree in secondary education. He earned his master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Shepherd in December 2007. Riser and his wife, Anne, reside in Martinsburg with their daughter, Jordan, and sons, Mason and Jackson.