As Eastern Kentucky head baseball coach, Coach Ward won 628 games over 22 seasons (1980-2001). His 939 career wins as a head baseball coach ranks among the best of all-time. As the Colonels skipper he led his teams to five Ohio Valley Conference regular season titles and four OVC tournament titles and Ward was named OVC Coach of the Year five-times (1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, and 2000).
In his second year at EKU, Ward led the Colonels on the biggest single season turnaround in which his team won 26 more games than in his first season in Richmond. His teams competed at four NCAA Regional tournaments (1984, 1985, 1986, and 1989) and he had four players receive All-American status. Ward also coached 64 All-Conference performers, five OVC Players of the Year, and 29 of his players went on to play professional baseball.