Oftentimes, great leaders are a product of someone in their life leading them.
Kentucky starter Ben Cleaver pointed to leaders on the 2024 College World Series team such as Jackson Nove, Cam O’Brien, and, in particular, Ryan Hagenow as mentors he still talks to.
Cleaver recalled a time before his freshman season when Hagenow offered words of encouragement.
“He was like, ‘you belong here, you're pitching here for a reason, don't put the hitters on a pedestal,’” Cleaver said. “I think that gave me a lot of confidence, just to go attack guys. I was pitching against Ryan Waldschmidt and Émilien Pitre, first and second rounders as a as an 18-year-old.”
Now in his third season with the Wildcats, Cleaver has stepped into a leadership role on the pitching staff.
After pitching six innings in his freshman season, the lefty slotted into the weekend rotation last year and led the team in innings (83) and strikeouts (92). He also planted the seeds of his leadership, as he led by example with his intense nature and bulldog mentality on the mound.
Now, he's parlayed those skills with becoming more vocal in the offseason after being unsure of himself in the role last season as a sophomore.
“I've really focused on being more vocal to guys and like, making sure everyone's doing good, whether it's on the field, or off the field,” Cleaver said. “I just want to check in with guys and continue to build relationships with them, and I think that's only going to make our team better.”
One example was last summer when he remained in Lexington after the season with sophomore right-hander Nate Harris. Neither pitcher threw in a summer league because of the innings they tossed during the 2025 season. Cleaver used that opportunity to pass down the same lessons he was given as a freshman.
“He led those freshmen," Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione said. “A leader is someone who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way, he’s done that.”
The skipper went on to talk about how he has groups of players over to his home and makes them share one thing they are thankful for, and one of the players said he was thankful for Cleaver.
“‘Any time I have a question about the schedule, my delivery, what’s next, what to expect, he just helps me,’” Mingione said. “‘He does it in a way where he does not make me feel stupid, doesn't make me feel dumb, he literally just tries to bring me along,’ and that's Ben Cleaver.”
Along with leading, Cleaver also sharpened some tools in his pitching game as well. One of the big things he did was continue to bulk up, which could threaten his nickname of “The Slim Reaper.”
He had that nickname put on his glove this season, but now his glove for this season just reads “Reaper” and the nickname is “up for interpretation" according to Cleaver.
As for pitching, he's experimenting with a new changeup grip and developing his cutter. The lefty said that he learned a new changeup grip from sophomore right-hander Tristan Hunter after he learned it playing summer ball and is seeing success with it.
With those new tools, Cleaver is primed for that next step on the mound, but his leadership is making him a bigger part of the Bat Cats.
In this era of college sports, players leave programs for a variety of reasons, but Cleaver, now draft-eligible, chose to stay. He pointed to a call he had with Mingione when he was in high school as a reason he is anchored in Lexington.
“I had gotten injured, and I was driving home from the game, and he just prayed for me on the phone. That was when I knew this is the place for me,” Cleaver said. “There's nowhere else on earth I'd rather be than Lexington.”
“...I wouldn't leave this place for any amount of money,” Cleaver said. “Coach (Mingione) and the rest of the staff here have truly changed my life with this opportunity.”
