Ben Cleaver turned back the clock just when Kentucky baseball needed it the most. Cleaver held Tennessee to just four hits over seven scoreless innings as Kentucky beat Tennessee 9-2 to take the opening game of a critical series.
This outing was the first time Cleaver had thrown seven or more innings since an outstanding performance last season in Knoxville against Tennessee.
“Man, if there's a guy that deserves an outing like that, it is him,” UK head coach Nick Mingione said. “I give Ben so much credit. Ben has never stopped working. Obviously, it's not the year he wanted up to this point, he's had some good outings, and some so-so ones, and some not good ones. But man, if there's ever been a guy that deserves it, it's him, it's just his heart, how much he cares, and our team needed it, and he showed up in a big way. That was awesome.”
It’s no secret that Cleaver has not looked like the ace that emerged in 2025 this season. The lefty led the team in ERA (3.25) and strikeouts (92) in 2025. He had not made it through five innings in 2026 up to this point and had a 4.60 ERA in just 29.1 innings across 10 starts. He removed from the weekend rotation prior to the Vanderbilt series and made a midweek start against Louisville.
That move did not change anything for “The Reaper” as he lasted just one inning and allowed two runs (one earned) against the Cardinals. However, a shoulder injury to righty Nate Harris gave Cleaver another shot against Tennessee in the series opener. Mingione and his staff shifted the rotation a bit by having ace Jaxon Jelkin pitch in game two instead of the series opener. He felt the need to make a change after some self-reflection and prayer.
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“You know, the Lord put it on my heart that we needed to do something different with our rotation. And it was clear that what we had been doing, we're in series, but we're trying to win a series,” Mingione said. "I just prayed about it, and I felt that we needed to make a change, and the players were awesome. They were totally up to it, and the coaches were fantastic.”
The lefty, along with several of his teammates, shaved their heads before game three against South Carolina, and it might’ve unlocked the Cleaver of old. Beyond not having hair anymore, his skipper learned a lot about him in that moment.
“He could just be like, ‘ah, you know that I'm not doing that, that's not for me.’ and it's just like, No, he's in the middle of it,” Mingione said. “He wants it, and just tells you everything that you need to know about Ben and his heart, like he wants to win. And if that means he gets a buzz cut, he'll do it. I might challenge him to cut it shorter.”
Once play began on Friday night, Cleaver retired the first five batters he faced before giving up a walk in the second. The free passes have plagued the junior all season, but he got out of the frame unscathed.
Cleaver gave up a leadoff single to start the third and the runner moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Third baseman Caeden Cloud made a tremendous play to get the lead runner out for the second out. Cleaver gave up another single before getting an out to end the frame.
Second baseman Ethan Hindle spotted Cleaver two runs in the third with a two-run home run over the right field wall. The junior returned to the mound and worked around a single for a scoreless fourth. The fifth is typically when things hit a wall for Cleaver in 2026, but he tossed a scoreless inning.
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His offense came through again as freshman right fielder Braxton Van Cleave continued to boost the lineup with a three-run home run in the fifth to make it 6-0. Cleaver returned to the mound and posted another quick inning.
The Thompsons Station, Tennessee native came back to the hill in the seventh and got an out before giving up a single. Cleaver struck out the next batter before surrendering a walk. Left fielder Scott Campbell Jr. made a diving catch to save a run and end Cleaver’s outing with no runs allowed. The Wildcats tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh. As a team, Kentucky collected 13 hits and hit .351 as a team.
“(Cleaver's) been working extremely hard to try to get out there and do the things he can do. He was the table setter, and he set the tone for the whole game," Hindle said. “He's been controlling himself this whole week, and he's gone about his business differently, and it showed when he went out there. He was attacking the zone, filling it up, he had the attitude, it's really good.”
Whether it's the new haircut or a turning back of the clock, “The Reaper” arriving in 2026 could set the Bat (or buzz) Cats in a whole new direction down the stretch.
