2013 (Sophomore Year): The MEAC Player of the Year … An All-MEAC first-team selection as an outfielder for the second year in a row … Was also the preseason player of the year and a preseason all-conference selection … Voted to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Southeast Region second team … Became the first NSU player to earn player of the year and all-region honors in the Division I era … Batted .482 on the year, which ranked second in the nation, just .003 points behind the national leader … Also stood second nationally in doubles per game (0.50), 14th in triples (0.12), 17th in slugging (.809), 27th in on-base percentage (.525), 31st in RBI per game (1.02) and 61st in runs (0.90) … Tied the NCAA Division I record for consecutive hits with 13 from March 23-29 … Named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) all-state second team … Team MVP … Started 41 games and appeared in 42 altogether … Scored 38 runs on 68 hits with 21 doubles, five triples, five home runs and 43 RBI … Walked 15 times and was a perfect 8-of-8 on stolen base attempts … Was named to the MEAC All-Tournament team after going 8-for-22 with three RBI and six walks … Ranked first in the MEAC in batting, slugging, on-base percentage, doubles, triples and total bases and fourth in hits and RBI … Led NSU to its second-ever MEAC tournament championship game appearance in 16 years … Set the program’s Division I records for batting average, hits, doubles, total bases and on-base percentage … Also set the program’s all-time record for doubles, while ranking second all-time at NSU in both hits and total bases in a season … Ranks second all-time in career doubles and needs just five more to tie the school record … Led the team in average, hits, doubles, triples, total bases, slugging and on-base percentage … Was a two-time MEAC Player of the Week, on March 25 and then again on April 1 … Went 10-for-11 with 12 RBI and seven runs scored in three games at Coppin State to earn the award the first time … Batted 7-for-9 with six RBI and five runs scored while tying the NCAA record for consecutive hits during a three-game homestand against Howard to earn the award the second time … Batted .661 (41-for-62) during a 17-game hitting streak from March 13-April 13, contributing 26 runs, nine doubles, five triples, four homers and 31 RBI while recording at least two hits in all but one game … Had at least two hits in 25 contests on the year and also had 10 games with at least two or more RBI … Saved her best for the three-game series at Coppin State on March 23-24, hitting 10-for-11 with seven runs, 12 RBI and six extra-base hits … After flying out in her first at bat of the series, recorded hits in 10 straight at bats … The next weekend against Howard, went 2-for-2 with four RBI in the first game on March 29, and then tied the NCAA consecutive hits record with a triple in her first at bat of game 2 … Grounded out later in the same inning to fall short of owning the record by herself … Finished 7-for-9 with five runs and six RBI in the three-game series with Howard … Batted 4-for-5 with four RBI on April 13 at Morgan State … Went 2-for-4 with two runs, three RBI and a pair of homers April 7 against UMES, joining teammate Alina Moriarty as the only two players to hit two homers in a game in the last four years … The day before against UMES, drove in the winning run with a single in the bottom of the 10th inning in a 4-3 victory … Hit a pair of doubles in a game for the second time on the season, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI in game 2 against Delaware State on April 20 … Also hit two doubles in the first game of the Coppin State series … Hit two triples in game 1 at North Carolina A&T on March 13 and finished the twinbill 4-for-8 with five runs and two RBI … Led VA Legends to its second straight United State Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Over 18 Fastpitch World Series title in July 2013.
2012 (Freshman Year): An All-MEAC first-team performer … Became the first NSU freshman to earn first-team honors in the Division I era and the first rookie to be named first-team all-conference since 1992 … Named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State first team … A two-time MEAC Rookie of the Week, on April 2 and then again April 23 … Played in 46 games with 41 starts … Started 28 games in left field, 10 in center field and three in right … Hit .409 on the season, the first time an NSU player hit above .400 in 14 seasons … Her mark stood second in the conference and also ranked 32nd in the nation, including fourth nationally among freshmen … Had 14 multiple-hit games on the year and tied for the team lead with five multi-RBI games … Posted an 18-game hitting streak from March 19-April 21, the longest in the Division I era … Led the team with 36 runs, 56 hits, 11 doubles, a .547 slugging percentage and a .488 on-base percentage … Also added one triple, two home runs, 21 RBI, 19 walks and three stolen bases … Stood third in the conference in on-base percentage and fifth in walks and doubles … Had a 5-for-5 performance in a 7-1, Game 2 victory at North Carolina Central on March 28, the first time in at least 10 years an NSU player had five hits in a game … Also smacked three doubles that day, tying the NSU record for two-baggers in a game shared by four other players … Batted 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBI in Game 2 at UMES on April 6 and finished 6-for-8 with four runs and two RBI in the twinbill sweep … Posted an even .500 average (31-for-62) during her 18-game hitting streak … Hit safely in 25 of the last 27 games on the season … Also hit 5-for-9 with a run scored and two RBI as the Spartans took two-of-three at Delaware State on April 20-21 … Series at DSU ended of streak of six multi-hit games over an eight-game stretch … Went 2-for-2, including her second home run of the season, with three runs scored and two RBI in Game 2 against Morgan State on April 14, a 15-2 win … Hit 5-for-10 with five runs and four RBI during the three-game sweep of Morgan State … Had her first collegiate hit Feb. 25 against Army during an 8-0 victory … Smacked her first collegiate homer, leading off the bottom of the first inning, in Game 1 against Coppin State on March 24 to help NSU to a 2-1 win … Member of the VA Legends that won the United State Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Over 18 Fastpitch World Series title in July 2012.
High School: Four-year member of the varsity softball team … Earned second-team All-Eastern Region honors her senior season … Named first-team All-Beach District as a senior and second-team all-district as a junior … Batted .543 with five home runs and 18 RBI her junior year … Team MVP freshman and sophomore years.
Club: Competed for the U-18 Gold Virginia Legends team in 2008.
Personal: Full name is Haley E. Ward … Born on Feb. 26, 1993 … Daughter of Mickey Blythe … Has one older sister, Alea … Majoring in psychology with a minor in education … Wants to eventually become a child psychiatrist … Enjoys drawing and painting.
Ward's Career Hitting Stats
| YEAR |
AVG |
GP-GS |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
TB |
BB |
SO |
SB-ATT |
| 2012 |
.409 |
46-41 |
137 |
36 |
56 |
11 |
1 |
2 |
21 |
75 |
19 |
16 |
3-4 |
| 2013 |
.482 |
42-41 |
141 |
38 |
68 |
21 |
5 |
5 |
43 |
114 |
15 |
11 |
8-8 |
| Totals |
.446 |
88-82 |
278 |
74 |
124 |
32 |
6 |
7 |
64 |
189 |
34 |
27 |
11-12 |
