Kentucky pitcher Ben Cleaver helped lead the Wildcats to a 9-2 win over No. 24 Tennessee on May 1, delivering his best outing of the season. The junior left-hander pitched seven shutout innings, striking out four and walking two while allowing just four hits.
Cleaver’s performance came at a crucial time for Kentucky, which is currently on the NCAA Tournament bubble with three weeks remaining in the regular season. After struggling during Southeastern Conference play and being removed from weekend rotation after the Auburn series, Cleaver was given another opportunity against Tennessee and responded strongly.
Ethan Hindle praised Cleaver’s effort following Friday’s game. “He’s been working extremely hard to try to get out there and do the things he can do,” Hindle said. “He set the tone for the whole game.”
Head coach Nick Mingione also commended Cleaver for his perseverance throughout a challenging season. “If there’s a guy that deserves an outing like this, it’s him,” Mingione said. “I give Ben so much credit. Ben has never stopped working. Obviously, it’s not the year he wanted to this point. If there’s ever been a guy that deserves it, it’s him. It’s just his heart and how much he cares.”
Mingione highlighted how important Cleaver’s performance was for Kentucky as they push toward postseason contention: “Our team needed it,” Mingione said. “He showed up in a big way. That was awesome.” He added that effective pitch counts and quick innings kept Tennessee off balance: “His pitch counts were great,” Mingione said. “He had some quick innings and got our defense involved… That worked out good.”
Despite earlier struggles in conference play, Mingione affirmed continued faith in his pitcher: “We believe in Ben,” he said. “There’s no question. So, he stepped up and I’m glad it worked out.”
