Impact Of A Scholarship: James Heffley

While most athletes may not consider the work that goes into maintaining their sports fields, Maryland baseball alum James Heffley (‘24) was actively aware of the science behind the turf that he played on. 

When he wasn’t on the field as a player, Heffley was involved in the effort to provide effective outdoor athletics spaces for Maryland’s student-athletes. His experience as a sports turf technician with the Maryland Athletics’ facilities and grounds department inspired Heffley to pursue a career in agricultural engineering. 

“People don’t think of it as agriculture, but growing grass is definitely agriculture,” Heffley explained. “I learned a lot in undergrad about how to mix science, social skills, engineering, math and biology all together. I started doing that by taking care of baseball fields.”

Heffley, a 2025 M Club Rodman Scholarship awardee, capitalized on his position as a student-athlete by engaging in opportunities that combined his STEM-related academics with his athletics extracurriculars. 

He returned to Maryland as a graduate student in 2024, where he’s currently pursuing a master’s degree in the applied engineering program, with a focus on project management.

“My development as a student-athlete has prepared me for the many challenges that lie ahead, Heffley said. “I’m thankful to the M Club, as this scholarship serves as a tremendous investment in my future. Maryland is and will always be my home. I could not be prouder to continue my education at this institution.”

A native of Kensington, Md., Heffley always balanced baseball with his academics, crediting his “great parents” for making sure school came first, Heffley said. 

He had a successful career on Albert Einstein High School’s varsity squad, but he initially didn’t plan on playing baseball in college. It wasn’t until Heffley walked onto Maryland’s baseball team during his sophomore year of college.

Heffley was a backup catcher during his four years with the Maryland baseball program. He helped the Terps to back-to-back regular-season Big Ten championships in 2022 and 2023 and a Big Ten Tournament title in 2023. He was also named the team’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner in 2022.

Heffley was comfortable in his role within the Maryland baseball program and was grateful for the structure and community that a championship-winning Big Ten team like Maryland could provide. 

“The grind of college athletics, waking up at 4 a.m. and not leaving until 9 p.m. — call me crazy, but I actually liked doing that kind of stuff,” Heffley said. “I got to meet a lot of good people and make a lot of connections.” 

The M Club Rodman Scholarship awardee deemed his time with the Maryland baseball team both a fulfilling conclusion to his playing career and an enriching addition to his college experience. 

“I had never dogpiled on a field before coming to Maryland,” Heffley joked. “All those games that clinched all those awards were easily the best moments of my playing career. When it’s all said and done, those moments with your teammates are what you’re going to remember the longest.”

Off the field, Heffley received three All-Academic Big Ten selections on his way to graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics. He took advantage of the numerous career-building services and opportunities available at the university through the M Club, which he sees as a major contributor to his professional development. 

“I went to every single office hour, every single career advisor, every single resume builder,” Heffley said. “I met tons of people who were in the athletic department and played for the baseball team who are now running companies and even making movies. It’s a privilege to be able to go back and access that.” 

Over the summer of 2023, Heffley interned for the University of Maryland Extension in the Montgomery County office. There, he researched turfgrass herbicide trials, completed insect and crop scouting and co-developed educational materials for the Maryland Department of Agriculture. 

Like his work in facilities management, this was another key opportunity through the university that Heffley used to advance his professional goals.

As a rising second-year grad student, Heffley attends classes at night and works in the daytime to fund his post-graduate education. He continues to work as a sports turf technician, in addition to serving as Director of Player Personnel for Maryland baseball, which provides him with experience in sports management and coaching. 

The part-time student, who’s juggling multiple jobs and school, emphasized the importance of the M Club Rodman Scholarship in supporting his goal of becoming an agricultural engineer. 

“The M Club Rodman Scholarship has done wonders for supporting my tuition,” Heffley reflected. “Maryland is a great school with great academics. This money is a great way to chip away at some of the costs.” 

Heffley thanked the Rodman family and the M Club, as well as his coaches, who he said were major contributors to his holistic student-athlete experience. 

“My coaches knew how important academics were to me coming in,” Heffley said. “I was a walk-on athlete, so I was coming to school to make an impact on the baseball team, but also lead through character and academics. The M Club Rodman scholarship proves that my coaches, the Rodman family, and the M Club believe in me to do that beyond my baseball career, beyond my college career. And I’m very thankful to them for it.”

About The M Club

The M Club was founded in 1923 as a letterwinner organization and is one of the oldest athletic letterwinner organizations in the United States. It has been dedicated for more than 100 years to empowering and uplifting University of Maryland student-athletes and letterwinners and continues to foster a growing community of Athletes Helping Athletes through the generosity of its members. Current support for Maryland Athletics includes awarding post-graduate scholarships, funding team reunions, providing letterjackets to graduates and hosting the bi-annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, among other areas.