With the No. 160 pick in the 2018 MLB draft, the Red Sox selected Thad Ward in Round 5. Ward is a right-handed pitcher out of the University of Central Florida. The junior is unranked on MLB.com’s top 200 prospect list.
The 21-year-old finished the season 5-4 with a 3.27 ERA in 63 1/3 innings pitched, while striking out 84 and holding opponents to a .203 batting average.
Ward was named to the First Team All-Conference team by the American Conference, and led his team in strikeouts (seventh in the conference). He was also 25th in the country in strikeouts per nine innings with 11.94.