West Chester's Ward Added After Stint With A's
WASHINGTON, Pa. (Apr. 8)- The Wild Things announced today that they have come to terms with INF Nick Ward.
The Kennett Square, PA native will make the 4 hour, cross state drive for his first season in Washington. However Wild Things Park is not completely new for Ward, as the All-PSAC INF attended a MLB Workout at the stadium prior to his senior season.
As a 3 year member of the West Chester University Rams, Ward showed consistent growth. Career highs in doubles (11), HRs (13), RBI (50), HBP (17), walks (30) and batting average (.364) came as a senior in 2018. His 69 runs scored led the PSAC conference, ranking 3rd nationally, and was noted as a Honorable Mention All-American by two collegiate associations. The PA native holds a school record with 175 career runs scored and his 25 career HRs ranks 3rd in the program's All-Time books. Ward also carries around some hardware, being a key member of the Ram's 2017 National Championship team.
Selected in the 34th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics, Ward tenure spanned across 4 different affiliates. The majority of his time was spent with the Beloit Snappers of the Midwest League where he drove in 35 runs, hitting 4 HRs and clubbing 10 doubles. In his 148 career appearances he has seen nearly even time defensively across all 4 spots of the INF.
"The one thing I already appreciate about Nick is that he stays true to himself and to his game. He plays an old-school style that has become undervalued at the professional level," said General Manager Tony Buccilli. "We expect Nick to play a meaningful role in our lineup, creating runs at a high level and impacting the outcome of games," Buccilli stated.
