Basketball legend Kevin Durant has dawned the nickname “The Slim Reaper” for his killer instincts and elite versatility. 

With that in mind, Kentucky baseball has a “Slim Reaper” of its own in the form of Ben Cleaver.

A former teammate of his, Cooper Robinson, gave him the nickname of “The Slim Reaper” and it has stuck. 

“He just called me that in the locker room one day and I was like, ‘That’s cool,’” Cleaver said. “I know it’s Kevin Durant’s nickname and it’s cool, he’s a great ball player. I like that I am one of the guys that gets to have a nickname, it’s pretty cool.”

Cleaver missed a large part of last season due to various injuries, which stunted his slated position of midweek starter. 

Despite that, he arrived on the scene for Kentucky baseball when he took the hill in the bottom of the 10th inning of a series-deciding game at Florida. 

With the tying run on second and the winning run at the plate, Cleaver blew a fastball by the Gator hitter to pick up the series win and his first save. 

After the strikeout, fans got to see a glimpse of the fiery personality of the lefty as he pumped his fist and was fired up with his catcher, Devin Burkes, and his other teammates. 

In the postseason, the lefty took the mound at the SEC Tournament and in the Men’s College World Series. 

“I feel like being in those environments with a lot of people in big stages really just makes everything so much more simple,” Cleaver said. “You kind of realize what the highest standard is and everything else up until that point is just working to get to that point.” 

He finished his freshman campaign with six and a third innings pitched in which he struck out 11 and allowed four hits. 

Those outings were just a prequel to what was next for Cleaver, but they were very pivotal in his maturation process. 

At the onset of the 2025 season, Head Coach Nick Mingione hinted at big things in Cleaver’s future.

”If you said, ‘Hey, Coach Minge. Like, what returning pitchers made the biggest jump?’ I would say, ‘It’s Ben Cleaver,’” Mingione said.

Part of that jump was spending his entire summer in Lexington working to become a better pitcher both on the field and also between his own ears. 

“I’d say I’m much more mature than I was last year both on and off the field,” Cleaver said, “I feel like that has helped me eliminate going really high and really low, I just kind of try and stay in the middle the whole time.”

All that offseason work came to fruition when Cleaver was named to the weekend rotation ahead of opening day for the 2025 season. 

His first two starts on the road at Lipscomb and Belmont in Nashville were a bit of a homecoming for Cleaver as he grew up about 45 minutes outside of town in Thompsons Station, Tennessee. 

In the lanky lefty’s first start at Lipscomb, a bad inning resulted in a not-so-great performance in which he pitched three and two thirds innings and gave up three earned runs. 

This was the exact opposite of his next start as he dominated Belmont in his six innings of one-hit baseball where he struck out 11 hitters. 

These two starts set the stage for his first home start as a part of the weekend rotation. 

“It felt amazing, I mean I’ve wanted to be a starter my whole life and I’ve been blessed enough to have that opportunity this year,” Cleaver said. 

As Cleaver began his warm up tosses, “I’m So Paid” by Akon (featuring Lil Wayne & Young Jeezy) rang out of the stadium speakers. 

Cleaver set the tone for this outing early when it took him just 12 pitches to sit down Hofstra’s first three hitters in order. 

He repeated the exact same thing in the second inning as it took him 12 pitches to retire the middle of the order. 

Cleaver became even more economical with his pitch count by throwing just 17 pitches in the next three innings of work. 

A pitch count that low is a direct result of letting the defense work and, when it comes to pitching to contact, a resounding trust in his defense is what carries Cleaver.

“I believe that we have the best defense in the country,” Cleaver said. “We’ve got a lot of good transfers, a lot of good returners and you’ve got two great catchers that are playing every other day. I mean, I got all the trust in the world in them.” 

The left-hander was perfect in those innings as he’d not allowed a hit or walk. 

His no-hit bid fell short in the sixth with two outs as he was tagged for a single up the middle. 

Regardless, his shutout remained intact through the next two innings before he was pulled following a walk with one out in the seventh inning. 

The hit and walk were the lone blemishes on his otherwise perfect outing as he struck out three in his seven and a third innings of work. 

This outing showcased Cleaver’s ability to be a versatile pitcher as he can pitch to contact or sit down batters by strikeouts. While it’s not something Cleaver does consciously, it does help the lefty’s confidence knowing he can do both. 

“I like knowing I can do whatever it takes and I can help my team win in multiple ways,” Cleaver said. “I appreciate that I’ve been lucky enough to have this ability and teammates behind me that are going to help me succeed.” 

Cleaver’s abilities on the mound have reached his teammates and they are just as in awe of the lefty as the fans and opposing hitters might be. 

“I mean, he’s been incredible,” Carson Hansen said. “One of my favorite guys to play behind, how fast he works, how fast he gets us in and out.” 

The start Cleaver has gotten off in 2025 has been a culmination and a testament to his commitment that began his freshman year and is now on display every Saturday for Kentucky. 

“The way he carries himself is, I mean, there are certain guys, when they stand on the mound, they look like eight feet tall and 10 feet tall, He’s one of those guys,” Mingione said. “He carries himself in a great way and brings great positive energy even when he’s not pitching, what an unbelievable teammate.” 

All in all, Cleaver has grown from the flashy freshman to a potential ace for Kentucky baseball.