Former West Chester shortstop, Nick Ward, couldn’t have gotten his professional career off to a better start. Ward, who was drafted in the 34th round by the Oakland Athletics, hit a homerun in his first ever minor league at-bat. He then hit .273 with an .829 OPS and .400 OBP the rest of the season in rookie ball, and made one spot start in Triple-A.
During his time at West Chester, Ward’s accomplishments include being a key contributor to the Rams’ 2017 NCAA championship and maintaining a career .337 batting average, while hitting 25 homeruns in 154 games.
In the debut episode of Rams Recap podcast at West Chester University, we talked with Ward about his success, and the challenges he’s faced while pursuing his dream. Below is an edited version of our podcast interview that can be listened to in full on soundcloud.com/ramsrecap.
Ward on his first Triple-A At-Bat:
My first at bat in Triple-A was absolutely ridiculous. I see the guy warming up in the top of the third inning. I’m like: of course, I’m getting a lefty – a big tall lefty. The first couple warm up pitches, he’s like 92, 93 (MPH). I’m thinking: I’ve seen this before. I got this guy.” But then the first pitch to the seven-hole hitter is 98. I’m like; oh geez. The first pitch to me was on the inside corner, and I swear to God I didn’t see it. The next pitch, he throws me a slider, and I think I took the hardest swing of my life and just whiffed so hard. The next pitch I fouled it off – 98. Then he threw me another slider, I fouled it off. Then he threw me a ball down and away and punched me out. It was “Hey kid, welcome to Triple-A, take your seat.”
Ward on what made him stand out in college:
Honestly, I think it had nothing to do with my playing ability. I think it was that I just didn’t take a play off. … There’s a guy, who I’m actually really good friends with, his name is Joey Wendle. He won the Heart and Hustle award for the Tampa Bay Rays. He never takes a play off, even when he hits a ground ball to the pitcher, he’s sprinting to first base. He was kind of like the example. My favorite player has always been Chase Utley, so I always try to play like him and he plays super, super hard.
We talked to Ward about his plate discipline and the film “Moneyball:”
One of the things I’ve always prided myself on was my strike zone awareness, and my eye when I’m hitting. So I walked a lot. If you ever seen the movie “Moneyball”, I basically am “Moneyball” now. I get on base.
We asked Ward about what inspired him to play baseball:
My buddy from high school sent me a song – it’s called the “Baseball Song.” It’s a country song. … [I]t talked about how this guy had a lot of memories about having a catch with his dad in the backyard … And he made it to the major leagues, and then his dad was in the stands. I was like; If I don’t pursue that, then I’m stupid. That hit home for me. My dad has always been my biggest fan and has helped me through just about everything. I heard the song, and thought I had to play baseball.
Ward on the coolest MLB player he met:
The coolest guy to talk to was Matt Joyce. He saw me take five swings in the batting cage and was like, “I know exactly where your swing breaks down, I know exactly what you need to do to fix it.” Then I took three swings, and he fixed me right away. It was incredible to see that he could just look at me, and think I have a great swing. That was pretty cool that a big leaguer thought I was a good baseball player, and he could fix me just like that.
We asked Ward about how he likes to spend his free time:
I love playing “MLB the Show.” I can’t enough of [baseball]. I eat, sleep and breathe baseball.
Ward’s advice for young players who worry about not making it to the pros:
I’m sure you guys all heard of a guy named Chipper Jones. He just wrote a book called “Ball Player.” He talks about something his mom taught him. It’s called “necessary arrogance.” When you step between the lines, you need to believe like you are the best player. You don’t talk about it. You don’t have this kind of brash swagger in your face, but the way you go out playing the game, you show people that you know you’re good. I hate using the word “cocky” because there’s a negative connotation. But for kids who are a little bit afraid of not making it, be a little cocky.
We asked Ward what advice he has for student-athletes struggling to balance school and athletics:
I think you kind of have to plan your day out the night before. Know what you got coming, and if something pops up, just get it over with. I would just say, put your head down and keep chugging. Let your sport be your escape from all of your schoolwork.
Ward on what he’ll remember most about playing for WCU:
Definitely the national championship. I think that still will be the proudest moment of my baseball career. Sharing that with 30 other guys and playing for something bigger than just myself. That was absolutely awesome, and I’ll never forget that.
Brian Devine is a fourth-year student majoring in English and minoring in journalism. BD884861@wcupa.edu