Ward named Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-American

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University baseball redshirt sophomore Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) has been named a Collegiate Baseball Second Team Preseason All-American, as announced by the publication on Monday afternoon.

Ward joins James Karinchak as the only two players in DI program history to earn Preseason All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. He is one of two players from the Northeast Conference and one of just three players from New England to make the Preseason All-American list.

The preseason honor comes on the heels of one of the greatest seasons in Bryant history last spring. Ward hit .409 with 101 hits, 22 doubles, five triples, eight home runs, 52 RBI, 51 runs scored, 157 total bases and struck out just 10 times in 272 plate appearances. He was named the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Co-National Freshman Player of the Year and picked up All-American honors from Perfect Game/Rawlings, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the NCBWA and the ABCA.

In addition, Ward earned Freshman All-American honors from DIBaseball.com, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Perfect Game/Rawlings and the NCBWA and was named the NEC and New England Player and Rookie of the Year.

Ward was recently ranked No. 62 on Collegiate Baseball Daily's ranking of the top 100 collegiate baseball players.

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