Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Kentucky baseball player Ben Jordan, who also joined the basketball team last season as a walk-on, has died at age 22, the school said Tuesday.
No cause of death was given by the university.
"Our hearts are broken today," Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari said in a statement. "We learned early this morning that we have lost Ben Jordan. 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."
The 6-foot-9 Jordan was a baseball and basketball star at West Carter High School in Olive Hill, Ky. He took a redshirt in his first year on campus with the baseball program in 2018 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander appeared in 10 games in 2019.
During the 2019-20 season, Kentucky was facing a shortage of scholarship players due to injuries. Due to the lack of available players, Jordan stepped in and played three games for the Wildcats. He didn't play basketball this season so he could focus on baseball.
"Ben loved and cherished being a Wildcat," Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart said in a statement. "He had a servant's heart and answered the call whenever asked, including putting his promising baseball career on hold to help the basketball team when it needed him.
"I remember meeting Ben on his official visit to our campus and being so impressed with his passion for this state and the University of Kentucky."
The Kentucky men's basketball team honored Jordan before their game against Alabama on Tuesday night. Prior to the game, the team wore matching No. 33 shirts -- in honor of Jordan's basketball number -- and paused for a moment of silence.
