Ward, 21, batted .304/.413/.486 with seven homers and 42 RBIs while throwing out 56.6 percent of would-be basestealers (13 of 23) and starting all 59 games in his junior year. For his three-year career at Fresno State, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound right-handed hitter batted .288 with 16 homers and 98 RBIs in 162 games, while throwing out 60 percent of would-be basestealers.
Ward was born in Dayton, Ohio, and resides in Oviedo, Fla. He led his high school team to a 20-5 record as a senior, was named the De Anza League's Most Valuable Player as a junior and became the first athlete in Shadow Hills history to receive a Division I scholarship.