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Who was Ben Jordan? Kentucky baseball player dead at 22: 'He will never be forgotten'

Jordan was a right-handed pitcher for the Arizona Wildcats Men's Basketball and joined the team last year

Ben Jordan, a 22-year-old University of Kentucky baseball player who also walked on to the basketball team, died Monday, January 12, the school announced. The cause of death has not been revealed yet.

Jordan was a right-handed pitcher for the Arizona Wildcats Men's Basketball and joined the team last year when the last season faced a shortage of players.

“Our hearts are broken today,” Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari said on January 13 in a school-issued statement. “It is difficult for me to express and to put into words what a tragedy it is to lose a young person too early. Ben impacted our team last season in so many ways with his kind heart, his big smile and his wonderful personality. He cared so deeply about this place and it meant so much to him to be a part of this team.”

Jordan played three games for the basketball team but didn't core. But he made a lasting impression on coach John Calipari. He chose not to play basketball this season and wanted to focus completely on baseball.

Jordan was a native of Olive Hill, Kentucky, he was in the city's baseball team when the baseball season was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic.mIn 2019, he appeared in 8 ²/₃ innings over 10 games. He had a 7.27 ERA and eight strikeouts. He redshirted his freshman season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

“There are no words to express the shock and heartache our team is feeling with the loss of Ben,” baseball head coach Nick Mingione said. “He was an absolute joy to coach and be around. His coaches, teammates and brothers loved him dearly. His smile, his sense of humor and love for this university will never be forgotten.”

Kentucky Athletics shared the news on Twitter saying: "We are deeply saddened to share news of the passing of Ben Jordan, a beloved member of both the @UKBaseball
(2018-2021) and @KentuckyMBB (2019-20) teams. We offer our condolences to the family and friends of Ben. He will forever be in our hearts."

One of his college mates tweeted, "Another tragedy for our university but like the others, Ben will never be forgotten. RIP to a true Kentuckian and fan of our school." While one wrote, "Ben Jordan was large in stature, large in personality, large in heart, and large in character. He will live large in our memories. RIP."