Nelson Ward - Baseball Coach - University of Georgia Athletics

Photo by: Tony Walsh

Nelson Ward

Title:
Student Assistant
Email:
nward@sports.uga.edu
Phone:
706-542-7971

After spending two seasons as a student assistant at Georgia, former Bulldog infielder Nelson Ward was named the director of player development for the Bulldog baseball program in July of 2021.

Following a six-year career in professional baseball, Ward returned to Georgia for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He assisted Brock Bennett with the infielders while completing his degree in human development and family science.

Ward now moves in to a player development role. He will direct the analytics efforts in preparing for each opponent and also will be helping the players improve their performance on the field.

A three-year starting infielder for Georgia from 2012-14, Ward played in 149 games and posted a career .301 batting average. A native of Marietta and product of Lassiter High School, Ward started his first two seasons at second base for Georgia. In 2013, he set a school record for highest fielding percentage by a second baseman, posting a .987 mark. He served as the Bulldog shortstop and co-captain in 2014 when he hit .306 with a team-best 34 runs and 33 RBI.

A 12^th round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2014, he enjoyed a breakout season in 2015 with Bakersfield in the California League, batting .282 with 12 doubles, six triples, seven home runs and 39 RBI. The Mariners included Ward in a trade to San Diego for pitcher Joaquin Benoit. Ward played the next two years in Double-A with San Antonio and then Arkansas in the Texas League before electing free agency. After spending two years playing in the Independent Leagues, Ward returned to UGA in 2020.

Ward is married to the former Emily Quam of Denton, Texas. She is a teacher in the Clarke County School system.