WEEK 1 STATS: .263 BA (5-for-19), BB, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 runs
Ward drove in at least one run during each of his first three collegiate starts in left field. Batting third in the lineup for each of Bryant’s four games at New Mexico State, the left-handed hitter totaled six RBI and three runs scored while not succumbing to a single strikeout in 20 plate appearances. He batted .263, but two of his five hits were home runs. Ward singled in the fourth inning of the series opener for the first hit of his career and recorded an RBI groundout one frame later in the eventual 6-3 triumph. Next time out, Ward became the first Bryant freshman since 2010 (Kevin Brown) to homer twice in the same game. He drove in the first three runs of Bryant’s 13-7 victory in the Game 2. Ward opened the scoring by driving Cole Fabio home on a grounder to second base with one out in the third. Two innings later, he cranked a two-run bomb to leftfield as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead. He added a solo shot that bumped Bryant’s advantage to 11-6 with two outs in the seventh. Ward went 2-for-5 with one RBI in Game 3 before suffering an 0-fer in the series finale.