FARGO — One of the most recognizable Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association era is officially back. 

Drew Ward, a 29-year-old two-time AAPB All-Star and the 2020 league batting champion, was activated by Fargo-Moorhead on Wednesday and will be available to make his Newman Outdoor Field return on Wednesday night against the Sioux City Explorers. 

The Leedey, Oklahoma, native previously played for the RedHawks in 2020, 2022 and at last fall’s Baseball Champions League Americas. He is Fargo-Moorhead’s all-time (minimum 500 plate appearances) leader in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS. 

In 2020, fresh off a seven-year stint in the Nationals organization after he was taken by Washington in the third round of the 2013 MLB Draft, Ward put together one of the best statistical hitting seasons in RedHawks history. 

Appearing in 58 of 60 games in the COVID-abridged season, Ward hit .335/.407/.633 and led the team with 17 home runs and 45 RBIs. Ward beat out teammate Correlle Prime by just two ten thousandths of a point to win the 2020 batting title. 

His home run rate of 12.8 at-bats per dinger is the third-best single-season performance in team history behind only Darryl Motley in 1996 and single-season team record-holder Jesse Hoorelbeke in 2010 (both at 12.5 ABs per HR). 

After a year in the Detroit Tigers organization in 2021, Ward returned to the RedHawks in 2022 and set the team’s single-season on-base percentage record with a .467 mark on the way to winning Fargo-Moorhead’s first American Association title. 

After playing for the Milwaukee Milkmen in 2023 and helping the RedHawks to the inaugural Baseball Champions League Americas title last October, Ward started his 2024 season with Generales de Durango – where he was reunited with former RedHawks teammate Manuel Boscán – and slashed .284/.337/.432 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 25 games. 

PHOTO: Sean Rice / Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks