By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Okay, I’ll admit it.

I mistakenly assumed that Kyle Alivo had played his last game for the Iowa baseball team.

I assumed that some deep-pocketed team from the south would sweep in with an NIL offer that was too good to pass up, and that Alivo would ultimately accept it.

I figured he would announce his decision on social media, as almost everyone does these days, and in that announcement, he would thank Iowa for giving him the opportunity to play in the Big Ten, and would also thank Hawkeye fans for their support before revealing his new school of choice.

Because that is usually how it happens these days – thank you and good bye.

But as we learned on Saturday, Kyle Alivo chose a different path by choosing to stay on the same path.

The Franklin, Wisconsin native, whose fastball clocks in the mid-90s and whose slider is nearly impossible to hit at times, announced on social media that he will stay at Iowa for his redshirt sophomore season.

“grateful to be a Hawk, let’s run it back,” Alivo posted.

Given his talent and potential, Alivo would have been a hot commodity in the transfer portal and would have attracted suitors from all over the country as a talented two-way player, but mostly for his immense talent as a pitcher.

If Alivo had chosen to move on from Iowa, he would have simply been acting in his best interest, so it would been unfair to criticize him, but also probably hard for some not to criticize him.

This age of NIL and the transfer portal has put loyalty in short supply, while also creating a belief that the grass is always greener somewhere else because often times it is greener somewhere else, especially down south when it comes to playing college baseball.

Alivo almost certainly could’ve made more money at a different school, but he appears to be motivated by more than just lining his pockets.

The fact that Iowa stuck with Alivo after he had Tommy John surgery as a high school senior had to mean something.

He also has spent the past two seasons building relationships with the Iowa coaches, and with his teammates, which also has to mean something.

Iowa head coach Rick Heller faced a daunting task in convincing Alivo to stay at Iowa, and it probably wasn’t easy.

If it had been just about money, Alivo probably would have chosen to transfer.

But in this case, loyalty had considerable value, though money was also a factor, obviously.

Iowa apparently made a financial commitment that was enough to convince Alivo to stay, and for that, Heller deserves much praise.

Alivo, who also plays in the infield, was a semifinalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award this past season.

But his future is on the mound where Alivo made 17 appearances this past season, compiling a 3-3 record and a 3.48 earned-run average. He recorded 67 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings and had four saves.

Alivo had a strong performance in a 4-3 loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament as he pitched 5 2/3 innings in relief, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out seven.

He also threw five innings of relief in a win over Purdue to earn the save in Iowa’s final Big Ten series. He allowed one run on four hits and struck out a career-high nine batters.

Alivo isn’t the first Iowa pitcher with star potential to resist the temptation to transfer.

Brody Brecht, another hard-throwing right hander with immense potential, played at Iowa from 2022 to 2024 and is now playing professionally and steadily moving up the ranks.

Brecht probably turned down some NIL money to stay at Iowa, but that didn’t stop him from achieving his goal of pitching professionally.

It has reached the point where not entering the transfer portal is perhaps bigger news than entering it.

Kyle Alivo made big news with his decision to stay at Iowa; a decision in which loyalty appears to have been a significant factor for a change.