Randy Ward joined the Lions softball coaching staff in June 2014 and serves as the team's primary hitting coach.
The 2020 season was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic after just 23 games. The Lions were unable to play the final 30 games of the season, including any of the team’s WCC matchups. The highlight of the shortened season was the back-to-back wins against ranked programs to open the Judy Garman Classic in Fullerton. LMU pitched a complete game shutout to top #4 LSU on Feb. 27 then returned the following day for a 2-1 come-from-behind win over #13 Michigan on Feb. 28.
During the 2019 season, the Lions saw three players post batting averages over .300, while five players recorded a slugging percentage of .400 or greater. Sophomore Molly Grumbo led the team with a .344 average, .968 OPS, and 105 total bases on the year. Ward guided the LMU offense to a team batting average of .274, with 36 home runs and 245 runs scored on the year.
Ward's work with the team's offense paid off significantly in 2018 as the team posted an overall record of 34-24-1 (11-3 WCC) and finished second in the West Coast Conference, winning the Postseason NISC Championship. Delanie Wisz (15) and Alicia Brown (12) let the conference in home runs on the season while also ranking first and third in total bases, respectively. Brown led the conference in doubles (13) while Wisz ranked fourth in total hits (58). As a team, the Lions ranked second in slugging percentage (.419) and third in batting average (.263) on the year.
In his second season leading the team’s offensive attack, Ward guided the Lions to a team batting average of .309, while his players combined for sixty home runs and scored 267 runs through the course of the year. Outfielder Meghan Von Behren led the squad with a .421 batting average, finishing second on the team in home runs (11), RBI (31), and slugging percentage (.680).
Ward guided the offense to new heights in 2015 as the Lions led the nation in doubles (106) and doubles per game (2.00). Alicia Brown finished with a single-season record with 20 two-baggers, while Meghan von Behren led the league in batting average with a .421 clip. The Lions led the league in batting average (.309), slugging percentage (.515), on base percentage (.387), doubles (106), home runs (60) and total bases (723).
For the 2013 and 2014 seasons, Ward served as the co-head coach at NCAA Division II Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Along with fellow co-head coach Sami Strinz, they led the Urban Knights to a 33-66 overall record (26-38 in the Pacific West Conference) during their tenure, finishing eighth in the PacWest each season.
With several years of Division I coaching experience, Ward joined Academy of Art after serving as an assistant coach for a Saint Mary's team that captured the 2012 Pacific Coast Softball Conference Coastal Division Championship.
After joining the SMC coaching staff in 2011, Ward helped the Gaels finish the 2012 season with a 26-23 record and stood atop the Coastal Division of the PCSC, posting a program-best 15-4 record in conference. As the hitting coach, Ward helped the Gaels finish in the top five in the conference in almost every statistical offensive category. The Gaels also hit a school-record 38 home runs and had a program-best .289 team batting average in 2012.
Ward brought a multitude of experience to the SMC program after having spent four seasons (2008-11) as the associate head coach at the University of North Dakota, specializing with hitters. In his time with UND, Ward led the Fighting Sioux to their first conference championship in program history in 2010 and helped the program put up all-time offensive numbers in runs scored, hits, home runs, stolen bases and walks.
Prior to arriving at North Dakota, Ward spent the 2007 season as an assistant coach at the University of Northern Iowa, where he worked specifically with the team's hitters and outfielders.
Ward was also the head softball coach at Nora Springs Rock Falls High School in Nora Springs, IA where he helped the team to offensive records in home runs, batting average, runs scored, and runs batted in. Before that, he spent three seasons as an assistant softball coach at North Iowa Arena Community College.
Ward, a native of Mason City, IA, graduated from Northern Iowa in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in family services.
Ward and his wife, Sami-Strinz-Ward, have two daughters, Ryli and Hayli.
