Nick Ward

Nicholas Daniel Ward

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 185 lb.

• School West Chester University, Virginia Commonwealth University
• High School Unionville High School

• Born October 19, 1995 in Wynnewood, PA USA

BR register page

Biographical Information

Nick Ward has played in the minors and for the Great Britain national team.

He was 3 for 5 with a run and two RBI as a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth then transferred closer to home at West Chester University. He batted .315/.374/.405 in 2016, then .342/.441/.568 in 2017 with 60 runs in 55 games and 10 steals in 10 tries. Ward really blossomed his last year, at .364/.502/.722 at the plate with 69 runs, 13 homers and 50 RBI in 48 games. He led the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in runs, tied the school single-season home run record and finished third in school history in career runs (175), first in homers (25).

The Oakland A's took him in the 34th round of the 2018 amateur draft. The scout was Matthew Higginson. He hit .273/.400/.429 with 7 triples, 30 walks and 33 runs in 48 games as a middle infielder for the AZL Athletics and was 0 for 3 in a brief look with the AAA Nashville Sounds. He was second in the Arizona League in triples (behind Agustin Ruiz), tied Jason Pineda and Raynel Delgado for third in walks and missed the top ten in runs by one. Despite joining the organization mid-season, he tied Skye Bolt for 6th in the A's chain in three-baggers. He split 2019 between the Vermont Lake Monsters (.267/.433/.444 4in 13 G) and Beloit Snappers (.232/.334/.328 in 85 G), used as a utility infielder. He also pitched five games, going 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA.

When most leagues shut down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he found a home with the Steel City Slammin' Sammies and hit .373/.482/.657 with 17 runs in 18 games. Signing with the Washington Wild Things for 2021, he produced at a .269/.420/.409 clip with 21 steals in 30 tries and 67 walks in 80 games. That put him third in the Frontier League in walks (behind Alec Craig and Jack Sundberg). Among those with 200+ PA, he was 8th in OBP (between Braxton Davidson and Rubén Castro. Back with the Wild Things in 2022, he dazzled at .345/.472/.612 with 71 runs, 19 homers, 62 RBI, 64 walks and 18 steals (in 24 tries) in 84 games. He was 4th in walks (between Pavin Parks and Cito Culver), 3rd in average (behind Brantley Bell and Dalton Combs), first in OBP (.037 ahead of Brylie Ware), 6th in slugging (between Anthony Brocato and Brennan Price) and 3rd in OPS (behind Jeffry Parra and Bell). He was named the loop's All-Star shortstop.

Ward then played for Britain in the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers. Starting at short and batting third in the opener versus France, he grounded out against Kevin Canelon his first time up and later singled off Mathias LaCombe. He hit .133/.235/.200 in their three games but the Brits won to get a spot in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, their first World Baseball Classic. He tied for fifth on the team with three runs.