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Blaize Ward has been named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for the second time this season after a strong performance against Vanderbilt, where he recorded four RBIs. He leads the Missouri Tigers with a .353 batting average in SEC play.
Blaize Wardâs impactful performance against Vanderbilt this past weekend has been well recognized by the Southeastern Conference. The standout freshmanâs 6âforâ13 performance with four RBI against the Commodores earned him his second SEC Co-Freshman of the Week award for the 2026 season. The first honor came after the Tigers won their first SEC series of the season in early April against then-ranked No. 24 Kentucky.
At the time, Ward led the Tigers with a .500 batting average in SEC play. Since then, heâs kept up his momentum, becoming a staple of this Tigers lineup, still leading the team in average at .353 in SEC play. Elevating since Missouri came into the conference slate, Ward has become a consistent presence in the lineup after not making an appearance from Feb. 28 to Mar 10.
âBlaze has been Blaize from the beginning,â Mizzou coach Kerrick Jackson said post-game Sunday. âHe got the opportunity to play because Kam Durnin had that injury at the beginning of the year. He started off a little slow; things split up on him a little bit. We sat him, then once we put him back in there, he was determined not to let us take him out of the lineup.â
Both Ward and Durnin have been key bats for Missouri in SEC play, as Ward is only second behind Durnin in total hits in SEC play. Durnin capped off his final conference game at Taylor Stadium Sunday with a 3âforâ3 day at the plate, including a triple.
Neither player, let alone any bat in the whole Tigers lineup, struck out in their final home game this season. The fourth and final run of the series from Mizzou also came via the pairing, as the triple by Durnin led to Wardâs sac fly, giving Tiger right-hander Sam Rosand a crucial insurance run before he came in for the ninth inning.
In the field, Wardâs glove has been on full display, third in the team with 47 assists, holding a .956 fielding percentage, and fourth in double plays turned with 12.Â
âThe one thing (Blaize) has done is heâs played elite defense all year long,â Jackson said.
âWhen youâre playing defense, if youâre not hitting, if youâre taking hits away or making big plays, itâs just as important.â
Blaize Ward had a 6-for-13 performance with four RBIs against Vanderbilt, earning him the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week award.
Blaize Ward is leading the Missouri Tigers with a .353 batting average in SEC play and has been a consistent presence in the lineup.
Blaize Ward is second in total hits in SEC play, just behind teammate Kam Durnin.

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After suffering a sweep earlier in May against the SEC regular season champions Georgia, Ward and the Tigers will have another chance to pull off an upset against top five opposition this week when they take on No. 4 Texas. The three-game series in Austin is the final regular season set for the Tigers ahead of the SEC tournament and will take place from Thursday-Saturday.