Un-Van Cleave-able! Braxton Van Cleave Delivers Walk-Off Grand Slam

Down to its last strike, Kentucky received a lightning strike.

Freshman Braxton Van Cleave, who had one hit on the season, provided a bolt of lightning with an 0-2, two out walk-off grand slam that sent the Wildcats to a 5-2 victory in front of 4,416 delirious fans at Kentucky Proud Park.

The moment punctuated a night where both teams’ aces dealt on the mound, UK coach Nick Mingione was ejected and the Cats erased a 2-0 deficit for their biggest victory of the season. It also breathed life into a team besieged by injuries and needing something positive the back half of Southeastern Conference play.

The Cats entered the ninth inning trailing 2-1 before a leadoff single from Luke Lawrence and infield hit from Jayce Tharnish put two on base. Ethan Hindle laid down a potential sacrifice bunt but Vanderbilt did not cover first base and everyone was safe to load the bases. After a pair of strikeouts, Van Cleave fell behind 0-2 before delivering a perfect swing that sent his teammates into celebration as he rounded the bases.

NOTES

• Kentucky is 26-10 on the season, 8-8 in SEC play.
  • UK is 17-3 at Kentucky Proud Park in 2026.
  • UK is 144-72 since the beginning of 2023.
• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his 10th season at the helm and now owns a 319-202 career record.
  • Mingione is the second-winningest coach in school history.
  • Mingione is 121-132 in SEC games.
    • He is 69-55 in home SEC games overall, 57-46 at Kentucky Proud Park.
  • Mingione now is 8-18 vs. Vanderbilt.
  • Mingione is 38-32 vs. teams from Tennessee.
• OF Braxton Van Cleave went 1-for-4 with a walk-off grand slam.
  • It was the first home run of his career.
  • It was just the second hit of his career.
  • It was the Cats’ first walk-off grand slam since Riley Mahan vs. Alabama in 2016.
• IF Tyler Bell and IF Luke Lawrence each had two hits.
• RHP Jaxon Jelkin pitched 8.0 innings.
  • He allowed six hits, two runs, one walk and nine strikeouts.

ON DECK

UK hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. The game is on SECN+ and the contest can be heard on UK Sports Network/630 WLAP.