Blaize Ward’s impactful performance against Vanderbilt this past weekend has been well recognized by the Southeastern Conference. The standout freshman’s 6–for–13 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,
he’s 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.
“Blaze has been Blaize from the beginning,” Mizzou coach Kerrick Jackson said post-game Sunday. “He 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.”
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 3–for–3 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 Ward’s sac fly, giving Tiger right-hander Sam Rosand a crucial insurance run before he came in for the ninth inning.
In the field, Ward’s 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.
“The one thing (Blaize) has done is he’s played elite defense all year long,” Jackson said.
“When you’re playing defense, if you’re not hitting, if you’re taking hits away or making big plays, it’s just as important.”
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.
