IOWA CITY, Iowa — Twelve players — four from the Hawkeye State — have signed National Letters of Intent to join the University of Iowa baseball program for the 2025 season, it was announced Monday by head coach Rick Heller.
The class consists of six position players: Brody Irlbeck (OF/LHP, Kansas City, Mo.), Milo Kelley(C, Davenport, Iowa), Cole Moore (C/RHP, Adel, Iowa), Tate Slagle (UTIL/RHP, Algona, Iowa), Ben Toft (OF, Wilmette, Ill.) and Trevor Vande Hey (OF, De Pere, Wis.).
Along with Irlbeck, Moore and Slagle, Iowa signed five other pitchers: Brady Ferguson (RHP, Omaha, Neb.), Maddux Frese (RHP, Southeastern CC, Norway, Iowa), Brolan Frost (LHP, Waterford, Wis.), John Henry Kohorst (LHP, Apple Valley, Minn.) and Nick Terhaar (RHP, Saginaw, Minn.).
“We couldn’t be happier with this recruiting class,” said Heller. “It’s filled with big time arms that includes four lefthanders. The position players in this group are talented, athletic, and fit the needs we have at those positions. This class will also have several legitimate pitcher/position player combos. With the roster cap dropping to 34 next year, this is a nice bonus for us. The character and make up of this class are top notch as well. Most of this talented group of young men have been committed to Iowa Baseball for multiple years, knowing that the wait to see them in a Hawkeye uniform is almost over is a great feeling. We’re all excited to get to work with these guys! Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Marty Sutherland did another fantastic job in orchestrating our recruiting efforts. His hard work and commitment are sincerely appreciated. Assistant Coach Mitch Boe also did a great job on the recruiting trail for us. Our new Pitching Coach Sean Kenny hit the ground running and helped our recruiting efforts a great deal. We have an outstanding staff who grind it out every day. I’m proud of their efforts.”
Brady Ferguson
6-3, 200, RHP
Omaha, Nebraska
Millard West (Steve Frey)
- 2x State Champion
- 2024 Class A First Team All State
- 2023 Future Games Participant
Sutherland on Ferguson:
“Brady brings an arsenal ready to push for innings early in his Hawkeye career. He is armed with a low 90’s FB and physicality needed to compete as a young player. Brady is a 2-time State Champion at Millard West, so he’ll be bringing big game experience to Iowa City. We are very excited Brady chose to continue his baseball career at Iowa.”
Maddux Frese
6-0, 200, RHP
Norway, Iowa
Southeastern CC
- 2023 1st Team All Region (ICCAC)
- Father Nate played at Iowa
Sutherland on Frese:
“Maddux comes to Iowa City via Southeastern CC in Burlington. Maddux was a 1st Team All Region RHP for SCC his Freshman year. The strength of Maddux’s game is command. He has a present 3 pitch mix that floods the strike zone. We believe Maddux has all the qualities to challenge for a spot in the weekend rotation. We’re lucky to have Maddux coming to Iowa City.”
Brolan Frost
6-5, 180, LHP
Waterford, Wisconsin
Southeastern CC (Justin Schulte)
- 2023 2nd Team All Conference
- 2023 Future Games Participant
- National Honor Society
Sutherland on Frost:
“Brolan will bring high level pitchability from the left side to Iowa City. Right now, Brolan will pitch in the mid to upper 80s with a CB and CH to compliment. Brolan has a frame that lends itself to huge opportunities in development. Brolan has just scratched surface on where his path will lead. He is also an outstanding student with present attributes to be a tremendous leader. We believe Brolan will make a great impact in Iowa City.”
Brody Irlbeck
6-0, 175, L/L, OF/LHP
Kansas City, Missouri
Staley (Jacob Sullivan)
- 2x 1st Team All Conference
- 2x Honorable Mention All State
- 2024 Area Code Team
- Academic All State
Sutherland on Irlbeck:
“Brody has emerged as one of the best LHP in the Midwest. Brody has a starter’s arsenal with a FB up to 93 and has also excelled as an outfielder this Spring and Summer. We believe Brody has potential to be a 2-way player at Iowa. Brody also has shown tremendous competitiveness and leadership qualities on the baseball field. He was one of our first commits in the 2025 Class, so it is really exciting we finally get to make it official.”
Milo Kelley
6-1, 190, R/R, C
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport Central (Colin Gisel)
- 2024 1st Team All Conference
- 2024 1st Team All District
- 2024 1st Team All State
Sutherland on Kelley:
“In our opinion, Milo is the best defensive catcher in the Midwest. Milo has shown great ability to command the pitching staff and control the running game. He also has a physical presence offensively where we can see the potential to hit in the middle of the lineup down the road. Milo is an extremely hard worker and will bring incredible toughness to our program. We’re lucky to have Milo as a Hawkeye.”
John Henry Kohorst
6-2, 190, LHP
Apple Valley, Minnesota
Cretin-Derham Hall (Paul Weinberg)
- 4 Year Letterwinner
Sutherland on Kohorst:
“We first got a chance to see JH at one of our Evaluation Camps. JH possesses some unique pitcher traits along with great overall stuff. He has a lively FB due to great extension he gets at release and high quality SL. His FB reminds us a bit of current Hawkeye Ben DeTaeye. JH has battled a little bit of an injury this past Summer/Fall, but he has done a tremendous job working through the rehab. We’re excited about all JH has to offer our baseball program.”
Cole Moore
6-3, 215, R/R, C/RHP
Adel, Iowa
Van Meter (Eben Baumhover)
- 5x State Champion (3 – Football, 2 – Baseball)
- 2023 2nd Team All State (Baseball)
- 2024 1st Team All State (Baseball)
- 3x All Conference (Baseball)
- 2023 1st Team All District (Football)
- Younger Brother of Current Hawkeye (Reese Moore)
Sutherland on Moore:
“Cole has been a multi-sport standout at Van Meter HS and has done nothing, but win. To this day, Cole has been a part of five State Championships in Football/Baseball. Cole has the ability to impact us as both a pitcher and a position player. On the mound, Cole has been up to 94 with two quality breaking balls. He is also a physical LHH with the ability to catch and play 1B. Cole has a very bright future, and we’re excited he will continue his baseball career at Iowa.”
Tate Slagle
6-1, 170, R/R, UTIL/RHP
Algona, Iowa
Algona (Chad Slagle)
- 4x Letterwinner (Baseball)
- 3x All Conference/All District (Baseball)
- 2024 1st Team Super All State Team
- 3x State Qualifier (Wrestling)
- 2024 – 3rd Place Finish (Wrestling)
- 3x Letterwinner (Football)
- 2x All District (Football)
- 2x Special Teams Player of the Year (Football)
Sutherland on Slagle:
“Tate has been a multi-sport star at Algona. He has been an All Conference/All State level performer in baseball, football and wrestling. We love the versatility Tate will bring to our Baseball Program. Tate will have the opportunity to help us both as a position player and on the mound. He can play all over the field defensively and is armed with a low 90s FB and wipeout SL. Tate will be a great addition to the Iowa Baseball Program.”
Nick Terhaar
6-3, 220, RHP
Saginaw, Minnesota
Proctor (Adam Shykes)
- 2024 1st Team (MN AA All State, Lake Superior Conference, 7AA All Section)
- 2024 Duluth All Area Team
- 2 Year Captain
- 2024 PG Preseason Underclass All American
Sutherland on Terhaar:
“Nick brings a physical RHP presence to Iowa from the state of Minnesota. His FB will be in the low 90s with a SL and CH. Nick had a great 2024 Spring Season leading his HS team to the Minnesota State Tournament, where he has also been a 2 time Captain. We are excited to be a part of Nick’s development into a power RHP in the coming years.”
Ben Toft
5-10, 170, L/L, OF
Wilmette, Illinois
New Trier (Mike Napoleon)
- 2023 Future Games Participant
- Participated for Team Illinois in National HS Championships
- 3 Year Starter
Sutherland on Toft:
“Ben comes to Iowa City via New Trier HS where former Iowa Standout Dusty Napolean is his coach. Ben made a great impression on our staff in the Summer of 2023 with the way he played the game. Ben is a LHH that can play all 3 OF spots. He is a tremendous student, and we believe he has the potential to be a great leader in our Baseball Program. We are excited to officially welcome Ben to Iowa City.”
Trevor Vande Hey
6-0, 200, R/R, OF
De Pere, Wisconsin
Wrightstown (Eric Beard)
- 4 Year Starter (Baseball)
- 3x All Conference (Baseball)
- 2x Captain (Baseball)
- 2024 2nd Team All State (Baseball)
- 3 Year Starter (QB-Football)
- 2023 Led Team to State Runner Up (Football)
- 2023 All Conference (QB/Punter)
Sutherland on Vande Hey:
“Trevor brings incredible athleticism and physicality to Iowa City from Wisconsin. He has been a multi-sport star at Wrightstown leading his Football team to the State Championship game in 2023 as the starting QB. On the baseball field, Trevor is a 6.5 runner with the ability to develop into a middle of the order type bat. We saw him make a huge splash at the PBR Future Games in 2023 and we’re happy he ultimately chose the University of Iowa.”
Carter Wilcox
6-1, 165, LHP
Aurora, Colorado
Cherokee Trail (Jon DiGiorgio)
- 2024 Preseason All American (West Region)
- 2023 Future Games Participant
Sutherland on Wilcox:
“Carter will bring electric stuff to our baseball program. The FB has been up to 93 with a good feel for his SL. We’ve seen him take on many roles throughout his HS/Travel Career. He has the mentality of wanting the ball when the game is in the balance. We view Carter as a Starter, but we love the fact he has shown ability to close games out. Carter had lots of options during the recruiting process, and we are very happy his landing spot is here at Iowa.”