Heffernan Meets The Challenge With D-I Commitment

SOUTH PORTLAND, Me. - Andrew Heffernan understood what he was up against in the recruiting process.

“When you're not throwing 90 it’s hard to get exposure,” Heffernan pointed out. “They may overlook you.”

Fortunately for the South Portland High School senior, that was not the case with Merrimack head coach Brian Murphy.

“I play for the Southern Maine River Rats and the first time he saw me was at the Tuesday PBR League,” Heffernan reflected. “He saw me pitch an inning and said he was interested. We set up a call and he wanted me to visit the campus. A week or two later I visited the campus and it was really nice. What also stood out was he had a good vibe to me. I did my research and he had a good track record.”

The next outing Murphy saw Heffernan play helped seal the deal.

“I pitched again at Boston College and he came to watch,” noted Heffernan, an infielder when not on the mound. “I pitched four innings and got a couple of hits. We set up another call and he gave me an offer. Two weeks later I committed. It was around very early August.”

That capped off a difficult process in getting recognized.

“It was not easy,” admitted Heffernan, who credited Marcus Crowell, PBR Maine Scouting Director and the Director of Showcase Baseball for the River Rats, with playing a key role in his recruitment. “I went to two PBR events last summer, a team camp at Maine and another PBR event in the winter. I put in a lot of work over the winter to get bigger and stronger and more athletic. I wanted to increase my measurables and be a better baseball player.”

Murphy liked what he saw in the 6-0 182-pounder.

“Most college coaches at the D-I level look for guys throwing 90 or a lefty,” Heffernan explained. “I’m a right-handed pitcher throwing mid-80s, can spin it well and mix up pitches. He saw my potential quickly. He’s mainly interested in me as a pitcher but also sees me as a potential two-way. That was a big difference maker.”

Until Merrimack came into the picture, interest in Heffernan was, admittedly, light.

“I only had one other D-I interested but it wasn’t close to Merrimack,” Heffernan said. “Keene State, a D-III in New Hampshire, and a couple of other D-II and D-III schools reached out, but I didn’t have one specific school I was looking at. Ideally it would be D-I but there’s nothing wrong with D-II or D-III as long as they have a good coaching staff and good academics. I just wanted to play at the highest level I could where I could make an impact.”

The 17-year-old came away impressed with Murphy and Merrimack, where the head coach graduated in 2003.

“I read an article about him, he’s a former coach at William & Mary, and a lot of his players liked him,” Heffernan related. “They just switched to D-I a couple of years ago after they won the D-II championship. They’re in the Northeastern Conference which is  competitive. I like a challenge.”

One challenge has already been met by Heffernan - reaching the dream of playing college baseball.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Heffernan said of moving on to the next level. “I’ve had some big goals for some time with the goal of playing college baseball. I always thought it was realistic. I’m not somebody that stands out but I always believed in myself as a D-I player as long as I kept working toward it.”

Mission accomplished at a college located 90 minutes from home.

“What a great feeling,” Heffernan related. “It’s toward the end of the showcase season and I’m glad to commit. It feels that sometimes it’s about impressing a coach or standing out, so it’s nice to commit and take some weight off the shoulders so I can focus more on winning, relax and play the game I love and not worry about exposure and going to all the team camps.”

Heffernan, who carries a 3.7 GPA at South Portland, plans to major in exercise science at Merrimack.

“I’m looking forward to competing at a high level,” Heffernan said about college baseball at the university in North Andover, Ma. “I want to work hard and make an impact as early as I can, hopefully as a two-way.

“I’m also looking to form relationships with the coaches and players while being a good student-athlete. My goals are still to play pro ball, but for now I can’t wait to play four years there and then see what happens. I’m just thankful for Merrimack and coach Murphy for not overlooking me.”