Amarillo College freshman leading Badgers on and off the field

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - The crack of a bat meeting a baseball is a pretty common sound when you’re practicing next to Sydney Ward.

The Amarillo College freshman from Albuquerque currently leads the nation in home runs with 17. For a 19-year-old living away from home for the first time and playing on a team in its first year of existence, it’s an impressive feat... but he’s not focused on the accolades.

“Having those kind of titles can mess a person up,” Ward said. “Me personally, I just plan on being Sydney, playing Sydney’s game.”

Head Coach Brandon Rains says his impact extends beyond the numbers, too.

“He’s done a great job at putting up some incredible numbers, but more important than that, he’s a leader by example,” Rains said. “He’s a very humble individual. He’s a great human being and an even better teammate.”

The Badgers are in their first baseball season since the mid-1980′s, but their 22-14 record, including 19-9 at home, just goes to show how this team has coalesced.

Ward knows his teammates are more important than anything.

“To me, my teammates are family,” he said. “Family that I can lean on, family that I can help grow and develop. We all need help. We all need some type of guidance and assistance, maybe a little push to help us get to our destination, and I feel like my purpose is... to help them push through whatever struggle they have. They help me push through whatever struggle I have.”

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