Backroads and Ballfields: UCLA Lands Iowa Two-Way Lefty Henry Heller
By Daniel Wilson ·
In February 2024, at a Prep Baseball event in Sioux Falls for 2028 graduates, a left-hander from Orange City, Iowa, topped out at 78 mph. He was listed at 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds. By May of this year, at an event in western Iowa, the same pitcher reached a max of 92.1 on TrackMan. He's now listed at 6-foot-1 and 215.8 pounds. That's Henry Heller, and on Oct. 14 he committed to UCLA.
Heller, a 2028 left-hander and outfielder at MOC-Floyd Valley High School, announced it on X that afternoon with a one-word post: "Committed!!" Sioux County Radio passed the news along that evening, and Prep Baseball's profile now lists UCLA with an Oct. 14 date.
Two weeks earlier, he had told Kyle Huesmann of HawkeyeReport that he was down to five schools: Iowa, Nebraska, UCLA, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. At that point he had visited Iowa and Mississippi State. "I am planning on making my commitment decision here in the next couple weeks," he said. He was right on schedule.
The Arm
Prep Baseball's readings show the climb in steps. The 78 max came in February 2024. He hit 84 that September and 84.8 on TrackMan in April 2025. At the Central Super Sophomore Games in August 2025, the max was 89.5, sitting 87.4 to 88.6. Then came the 92.1 on May 2, with the fastball sitting 90.6 to 91.7. At the Prep Baseball All-American Game on Sept. 18, he reached a max of 91.2 and sat 89.9 to 90.9.
So the big jump came between April and August 2025, and the next one came between that August and May. Since then he has held in the low 90s. I wouldn't read anything into a one-tick dip at a September showcase.
The secondary pitches moved with the fastball. In May, PBR had a curveball at 79.1 to 81.4, a slider at 80.8 to 83.1 and a changeup at 84.5 to 85.3. That is a lot of velocity on the breaking stuff for a 16-year-old. The slider came in at 77.2 to 79.2 at the All-American Game, with spin averaging 2,532 rpm. PBR's May write-up called him a strike thrower with "tons of spin on all pitches" and a premium arm.
The high school line adds a counterweight. Huesmann reported that as a sophomore last spring, Heller posted a 2.41 ERA in 32 innings over 11 appearances and six starts. He struck out 69 and allowed only 18 hits, and he also walked 32. That's 19.4 strikeouts per nine and nine walks per nine. A showcase bullpen measures stuff. A spring of high school innings measures command over time, and those two read differently here. I'd want the junior-year walk rate before deciding which one is closer to the truth.
The Bat
He hits right-handed and throws left-handed, which isn't a common combination. The bat has its own progression in PBR's data. His max exit velocity went from 82.0 in February 2024 to 88.6 that August and 95.5 in April 2025. It reached 98.9 in August 2025 and matched it in May 2026, when his average was 92.3. His longest ball traveled 335 feet, in August 2025. Bat speed maxed out at 79.8 mph in May.
The spring line was strong. Huesmann had him at .451 with a .595 on-base percentage, 41 hits, nine doubles, three homers and 31 RBIs. He was a 3A first-team all-state pick, and MOC-Floyd Valley reached the 3A state semifinals with Heller and Brooks McCarty, now a freshman pitcher at Iowa, leading the way.
The outfield tools moved, too. His max throw from the outfield went from 81 mph in February 2024 to 95 in May. His 60 time dropped from 7.52 to 6.96 over the same span, and he ran a 7.03 at the All-American Game. PBR's May notes called the arm well above average, with carry and accuracy.
Which One
Two-way players at this age usually get to keep both jobs for a while, and nothing in the public data forces a choice yet. The arm has the clearer case. A left-hander who touches 92 at 16 with three secondary pitches in the 80s will draw attention on that alone. The bat has a 98.9 max exit velocity and a .451 spring. The power hasn't caught up to the strength yet; his max distance in May was 268 feet.
UCLA will decide how to split his time. A draft decision would come first. He's a 2028 graduate, so 2028 is his draft year, and Prep Baseball lists him at 16 years and 3 months old. He'll be 18 or close to it that summer. He has no 80Grade draft rank yet. Our board is still built around 2027.
What Comes Next
A walk rate closer to four per nine this spring would answer the biggest question on the mound. A documented fastball max past 93 would show the climb hasn't stopped. On the hitting side, more carry on the ball would narrow the gap between the exit velocity and the distance. The next set of numbers will say a lot about which Heller the Bruins end up with.