West Chester Baseball Player Selected By Oakland A's In MLB Draft

WEST CHESTER, PA — The Phillies and their third overall pick were not the only local connections in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft, held this week in Seacaucus, New Jersey.

West Chester's star infielder Nick Ward was selected by the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night. He was taken with the ninth pick of the 34th round, which was the 1,013th pick overall. Though Ward manned shortstop for the Rams, he was drafted as a second baseman.

Ward's pick comes after a banner year, earning First Team honors for PSAC, D2CCA, and NCBWA All-Atlantic. The Kennett Square native finished the year batting .364 with five stolen bases, 13 home runs, and 69 runs scored across 162 at bats, according to university statistics. His 13 dingers tied West Chester's single-season all-time record.

Ward could ultimately go on to join another Ram second baseman who not only was drafted, but found his way into a starting position in the big leagues. 2012 graduate Joey Wendle is currently manning they keystone on a daily basis for the Tampa Bay Rays.

>>Phillies Select Alec Bohm With 3rd Overall Pick Of 2018 MLB Draft

With the ninth pick in the 34th round (1013 overall) of the 2018 @MLBDraft - the Oakland Athletics select..... Nick Ward!

Ward batted .364 during his senior year and tied the West Chester single-season program record with 13 home runs. #RamsUp pic.twitter.com/XnuDhCQPh3
— WCU Athletics (@WCUAthletics) June 6, 2018

34 (1013): @Athletics select West Chester U 2B Nick Ward. https://t.co/EryDhRho9g #MLBDraft
— MLB Draft Tracker (@MLBDraftTracker) June 6, 2018

Image via West Chester Golden Ram Athletics