Campus Newcomer: Pleasant Valley C Milo Kelley

We continue our Iowa Baseball Campus Newcomer series with an incoming freshman catcher who will make the short trip west down I-80 to start his collegiate career. Pleasant Valley catcher Milo Kelley helped the Spartans to a 28-7 record as a senior and now will turn his focus to his upcoming freshman year at Iowa. He is rated as the #2 catcher in the state of Iowa and the #74 catcher in the country by Perfect Game.

As a junior at Davenport Central in 2024, Kelley was a First Team All-Conference selection and a First Team All-State selection. He appeared in 37 games, with 27 starts, slashing .418/.511/.673 for the Blue Devils, including 46 hits, 14 doubles, four home runs and 45 RBI’s.

Kelley opted to transfer to Pleasant Valley for his senior season where he started 34 of 35 games for a Spartans team that went 28-7 and spent some time as the #1 team in the state. He slashed .330/.450/.481, with 35 hits, ten doubles, two home runs and 23 RBI’s. Milo earned First Team All-Conference honors for the second consecutive season.

‘25 Milo Kelly l C l Pleasant Valley

Jumps on this 90+mph FB for an opposite field 2B@UIBaseball commit#IASpringLeague l @MiloKelley278 pic.twitter.com/x4izGSq9GF

— Prep Baseball Iowa (@PrepBaseballIA) April 13, 2025

We caught up with the 6-foot-1, 190-pound catcher from Davenport to preview his upcoming freshman year with the Hawkeyes.

Q: When do you move to Iowa City and what is your excitement level like for that move in day?

I move in on August 16th. Although, move in day is going to be very stressful and tiring itself, I am super excited. I am just pumped to get on campus, meet new people, and get started with baseball on campus.

Q: What number do you plan to wear and why?

I plan on wearing number 18. I have been usually either number 1 or number 8 my whole baseball career and both of those were taken. However, 18 was open so I thought why not just combine the two and be number 18.

Q: You were a First Team All-Conference selection this season. What did it mean to you to earn that honor after transferring to Pleasant Valley for your senior year?

No matter what, getting a first team all-conference selection is super rewarding and awesome. Adding the challenges of transferring for senior year made it 10x more meaningful and memorable for me. I knew transferring for senior year was going to be one of the biggest challenges of my life, and that’s why I did it. Having to learn a whole new coaching staff and new teammates was not easy, but so much credit to those guys for bringing me in and helping me succeed. I would not have been able to achieve the honor of first team without those guys.

Q: You were one of the first players to commit to Iowa in the ’25 class. Where do you feel like you have grown the most with your game since you committed?

Since committing, I have definitely grown so much in the mental side of baseball. I have always known that the mental side for me has always been my biggest obstacle in the game of baseball. So, I have devoted more time and energy to that side. While the physical part of the game is important, I believe the mental side is more important. I have definitely focused and grown with that side of my game the most.

Q: Looking back at your recruitment, what stood out about the Iowa Baseball program that made them an easy choice over other schools?

When coming down to making my decision, what pushed me over the edge to pick Iowa was our staff. The coaching staff is all guys I know I can trust and talk to about anything with the game or even life. Iowa has a different feel. It’s a big family. Also just representing my home state was super important. Everyone knows that Iowa fans are different and loyal. I want to play for those fans and represent Iowa.

Q: Were there any other schools that you heavily considered during your recruitment?

I started my recruitment extremely early. With that, in early times of recruitment I was in conversation with Mississippi State, TCU, and the University of Missouri. I had verbally committed to the University of Missouri when I was 15. However, the whole staff that recruited me got fired so I decommitted. I truly think God was looking out for me and he knew I needed to be at Iowa and I am so thankful that everything worked out the way it did because I couldn’t be happier to be a Hawkeye.

Q: What is your relationship like with the coaching staff? Who do you talk with the most?

My relationship with the staff goes back years. They had been watching me since I was a freshman, so I have been in talks with them pretty much my whole high school career. I talk to Coach Sutherland the most. We have been talking all throughout high school and have gotten to know each other the most on visits and phone calls.

Q: In Iowa there isn’t much of a break between the high school season and arriving on campus for your freshman year. What are you doing between now and the start of fall practice to prepare yourself?

Between now and arrival time on fall my focus is gaining the most muscle I can and physically and mentally preparing myself to compete for a roster spot everyday I get on campus. This means hitting and throwing everyday and doing defensive work. Also hitting the gym hard 4x a week. Also focusing on eating as much as I can to put on some good weight and gaining good muscle for the fall.

Q: If someone asked you ““what do you bring to the Iowa Baseball team?” How would you describe your game?

I would describe myself as a competitive leader. When I get on the field, I want to win, and I want to help others win. While you are competing for a spot against the other guys at your position, I still believe you need to lift each other up and help each other be the best players you can be, that’s what being a teammate is all about. So, coming to Iowa, I bring leadership and a competitive spirit who is going to try and win every day.

Q: What is your relationship like with the other incoming freshman? Current players?

All of us incoming freshman know each other. Our visit last fall helped us break the ice and get to know each other more. I think arriving on campus it will be easy to get to know them more because we are all in the same boat of being freshman.

Q: What are your goals for your freshman season at Iowa? What areas of your game do you want to improve?

My goals for this freshman year at Iowa are to earn a good amount of playing time behind the plate and to become a positive leader on the team. I really want to continue to improve my mental game and my hitting. I know that challenges will arise but at the University of Iowa, there are plenty of outlets to help you get better.