TOWSON, Md. – Former Towson University baseball player Brian Heckelman has agreed to terms with the Aberdeen IronBirds of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft League.
 
The MLB Draft League features an 80-game split-season amateur-professional format. The first 30 games of the season (June 2 – July 5, 2026) features draft-eligible players aiming to improve their stock ahead of the annual MLB Draft in July. After breaking for the draft, the league switches to a professional format, with paid players comprising the six rosters for the final 50 games of the season (July 8 – Sept. 2, 2026).
 
Heckelman slashed .285/.408/.493 with 71 extra-base hits, 134 RBIs and 123 runs scored in his 201-game career with the Black & Gold, garnering 2026 Second Team All-CAA and 2025 First Team All-CAA selections in his final two seasons.
 
During his junior campaign, the catcher boasted a .365/.442/.588 slash line with ten doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 42 RBIs and 32 runs scored. He threw out 22.8% (18/79) of runners on the basepaths en route to becoming the Tigers' latest first team all-league selection since Brady Policelli earned the distinction as a shortstop in 2016.
 
Heckelman played 13 games for Aberdeen in the first half, slashing .244/.370/.356 with two doubles, one home run, 11 RBIs and six runs scored. In three games since the MLB Draft break, the New York native has added one walk, run and stolen base.