Published: June 27, 2009 10:31 pm         

Aussie import has strong love of baseball

At first glance, Tom Ward seems like an everyday American teen with a passion for the game of baseball.

But the second he calls you “mate” in a heavy-laden Australian accent, the “American” part of the description might get thrown out the window of your mind.

The 19-year-old Enid Majors catcher is, in fact, from Australia, hailing from Gold Coast, a city on the eastern coast of the continent.

Ward’s parents currently reside in Australia, where his father, Brett, works in property development and is a scout for the Baltimore Orioles. Because Brett; his mother, Susan; and his younger sister, Brodie live in Australia, Ward, by American rules, is ineligible for postseason play.

“It’s a big letdown, but I’m just happy I can play at all,” Ward said.

Bill Mayberry, manager of the Enid Majors, said the situation iss regrettable but is glad Ward got to be on the team. In fact, Mayberry said, Ward is one of the most baseball-intelligent players on the entire team.

“He knows the game of baseball,” he said. “I think he would be an excellent coach.”

Ward came to the United States in August last year and enrolled at Redlands Community College in El Reno. He’ll take another year of school there and graduate in May, then head off to a four-year college, where he hopes to pursue a degree in business administration.

If the Australian has his way, though, he won’t be doing business administration as his career.

“I hope to get drafted to the minor leagues,” he said, “because I want to play professionally. That would be the ultimate goal.”

His team of choice? The Baltimore Orioles.

Ward said he will begin to weigh his college options after this year, but he isn’t sure exactly where he wants to go yet.

“Wherever I can get scholarships — try to help out my parents, so it’s easier on them,” he said.

After college, his next desired step would be a Major League Baseball farm team.

During his short tenure in the states, Ward has come across a variety of challenges, not the least of which is food.

“(The food) is a lot more fatty over here,” he said. “Bigger proportions and all that.”

So, Ward said, he has to do a little bit better job of watching what and how much he eats.

The second major barrier Ward has had to deal with is his accent — which he says some of his teammates have a small bit of trouble understanding.

Mayberry doesn’t think his player should worry about his accent too much, though.

“It’s probably an asset when he’s talking to girls,” he said, laughing.

The left-handed batting, right-handed throwing player credits his dad for influencing him to become a catcher, a position Ward now loves.

“I love to be in charge (of the game),” he said.

Throughout his stay in Enid, Ward says he’s had many people to thank, including Mayberry, Paul and Joan Allen and Mark Rountree, sports editor for the Enid News & Eagle, whom Ward has stayed with while in Enid, along with Mark’s son, Nick.

Ward’s greatest influence though, and mentor, has been his father.

“Just being away from home – it’s been pretty tough,” Ward said.