Arkansas keeps stacking its transfer haul, and the newest piece fills a hole right up the middle.
Ben Cleary is heading to Fayetteville after spending two seasons at Santa Clara, and the Razorbacks expect him to slide right into the starting shortstop job next spring.
Cleary made his commitment known through his Instagram bio, putting Arkansas front and center even though he’s draft eligible this year.
Most signs point toward him suiting up for the Hogs instead of heading to pro ball.
He checks in as the No. 81 ranked player in the portal according to 64Analytics, and he becomes the ninth portal addition for coach Dave Van Horn this cycle.
The offensive numbers explain why Arkansas moved fast. Cleary hit .358 this past season with seven home runs and 63 RBIs. He’s also shown rare bat-to-ball skills for his career, striking out just 65 times in 532 at bats while drawing more walks (70) than strikeouts.
Cleary’s track record at Santa Clara
Cleary became a fixture in the Broncos lineup the moment he arrived as a true freshman in 2024.
He earned All-West Coast Conference Honorable Mention as a sophomore in 2025 and made the WCC All-Freshman Team as a rookie.
He also landed on the Preseason All-WCC Team heading into his second season after a strong debut year.
Across two seasons at Santa Clara, Cleary started 99 of 100 games he appeared in, splitting time between shortstop and second base.
He batted .284 with a .383 on-base percentage and a .362 slugging mark, adding 20 doubles, two homers, a triple, 33 RBIs, 66 runs scored, 46 walks and nine stolen bases. He twice earned Bronze honors on the WCC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
A breakout sophomore season
His 2025 season stood out as his best yet. Cleary started 48 of 49 games for Santa Clara and batted .302 with 55 hits, 12 doubles, 37 runs scored and a .406 on-base percentage, ranking second on the team in that category.
He also finished third on the roster in walks (26), steals (5) and slugging percentage (.401).
Cleary reached base safely in 46 of his 49 games that season, stringing together three separate streaks of 14, 15 and 16 straight games.
He capped the year with a multi-hit, multi-RBI showing against Saint Mary’s to extend his on-base streak even further.
Over a five-week stretch from late March into early May, he raised his batting average by 70 points and collected hits in 19 of 22 games during that run.
Building a foundation as a freshman
Cleary’s freshman season in 2024 set the stage for everything that followed. He won the everyday second base job within his first three days on campus and went on to make 49 starts there, plus one each at shortstop and designated hitter.
He hit .264 with eight doubles, a triple, 17 RBIs, 20 walks and four stolen bases while posting a .360 on-base percentage.
After a slow start that saw his average sit at .189 through mid-March, Cleary caught fire and led all regular starters the rest of the way with a .298 average over his final 37 games.
A nine-game hitting streak fueled that turnaround, during which he slashed .448 with four multi-hit games. He also held his own defensively, committing just three errors in 231 total chances for a .987 fielding percentage while helping turn 29 double plays.
Arkansas now has a proven middle infielder with pop in the bat and discipline at the plate, giving the Razorbacks another reason to feel good about their portal class heading into next season.
