MONTEVALLO, Ala. - The University of Montevallo athletic department announced Wednesday that the final touches have been put on the brand new entrance to Bob Riesener Stadium.

"We are very blessed and thankful to have such great facilities.  To have a facility like this is amazing for recruiting, alumni, and the university itself. So many people supported us and I know how grateful everybody is and for student athletes it shows the importance of what they're doing here and what athletics means to this university and baseball means to this university.  Tremendous for recruiting and the future of this program" ,remarked head baseball coach Chandler Rose. 

On April 6, 2019 Montevallo athletics dedicated its baseball stadium to former head coach Bob Riesener, officially changing its name to Kermit A. Johnson Field at Bob Riesener Stadium.  Riesener, one of the most successful coaches in the history of Montevallo athletics, made many contributions to the department during his career.  The UM Hall of Famer came to Montevallo in 1973 as Head Baseball Coach. He has been Falcon Club Director since 1975 with over $2 million raised for scholarships and capital projects.  

During his career he served 10 years as the NAIA District Baseball Chair, six years as Area Baseball Chair, and seven years on NAIA BCA Executive Committee, finishing as president in 1995. Coach Riesener has also served as Associate Athletic Director at UM from 1991-1995, and was appointed as the Athletic Director in April of 1995. Coach Riesener finished with a career coaching record of 1,045-704, including a 934-670 mark as head coach at Montevallo.

Bob Riesener was inducted into the NAIA Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. Through 1997, his teams have garnered well over 850 wins, have won seven district championships, sent over 20 players to professional baseball and 22 have attained All-American honors. Coach Riesener maintains that his proudest achievement is the fact that over 90 percent of his players who finished their eligibility, have graduated.

"It's a great honor for Coach…..It's a well-deserved honor for him, I know he's excited as well as a lot of guys that played for him.  When you invest that much into one university, its well-deserved and I'm thankful for everyone that rallied behind it." 

Additional Information about Kermit A. Johnson Field at Bob Riesener Stadium can be found here: https://montevallofalcons.com/facilities/kermit-a-johnson-field-at-bob-riesener-stadium/1