Union Athletics Director Brad Breland didn’t have to look too far to find his next baseball coach.
He actually pulled a name from the past.
Union named former head coach Joey Ward as its next head coach, replacing Dustin Hamrick who stepped down to be an assistant at West Lauderdale.
Ward coached for four years at Union and took the Yellowjackets to two South State title series before leaving for West Jones where he was the head coach for 11 years.
“Joey was here when I got here,” Breland said. “This is a great hire for us. He brings a ton of experience and is a proven winner. We are glad to have him back.”
Ward was the coach at West Jones for 11 years and took the Mustangs to four South State championship series and played for the 5A title once. He was then forced to step down from the baseball position because of blood clots in his legs.
“I was miserable during that year off,” Ward said. “I got the opportunity to be an assistant at Magee this past year. And then this opportunity came up and Union just checked all the boxes for me and my family. Union is like a second home to me. My wife is from Union and there is no better place to raise your kids. It just checked all the boxes for me and my family.”
Ward said he believes Union can be competitive on the state level.
“One of the main things I saw is Union is a place where you can win immediately,” Ward said. “We were competing for championships when I was there before, and I expect to do the same. I met with the team and laid out my expectations for them. I knew I could go back there and build a program and be good.”
Ward said he is looking forward to getting back to Union, especially the field he started building on before he left for West Jones.
“I actually put in the sprinkler system on the new field before I left,” Ward said. “We did a lot of work on the field and then I left for West Jones and never got to play on the field. So, I’m looking forward to playing on the field and helping take the program to the next level. We are going to be a blue-collar team and outwork everybody. We are going to try and do things the right way and take advantage of the opportunities given to us.”
