Several teams are always in the hunt for the FAA Baseball Tournament championship each season and Brunswick is certainly one of those squads.

Since the 2012 season, Brunswick School has captured six FAA regular season titles and has won four FAA Tournament championships, while also appearing in several more league tournament finals. Though the 2025 Bruins don’t have as many experienced, upperclassmen as they possessed in previous seasons, the ultimate goal is, of course, the same for this program, which boasts a rich postseason history.

“The expectation is to always win an FAA final, but we have to take the steps to get there,” said Brunswick head coach Connor Redahan, who is beginning his second season at the helm. It’s day-by-day, pitch-by-pitch. These guys have to win the little battles before we worry about that.”

Moving on and learning from tough losses is a sign of a squad that’s going to improve as the season progresses and the Bruins illustrated that when they visited FAA rival St. Luke’s School on March 27. After opening its season with a 7-2 home loss to St. Luke’s on March 25, Brunswick responded by beating the Storm, 7-1, two days later.

“We’re definitely a young group, we’re talented,” said Redahan, a 2016 Brunswick graduate who played baseball at Southern Connecticut State University following an impressive career on the diamond for the Bruins. ‘The majority of guys on the field are going to be the underclassmen, but we do have very good leadership. The junior and senior class are great leaders, they’re vocal, they lead by example and they are good players. I think this year, being so young, we will definitely have to go through some growing pains.”

Senior infielder Wim Nook and senior pitcher/infielder Jackson Shepelsky are Brunswick’s senior captains. Nook starts at shortstop and batted second for the Bruins against St. Luke’s. He’s been a mainstay in the infield for several seasons.

“I feel good, I feel like it’s a young team,” Nook said of the Bruins. “We’ve got 16 underclassmen and it’s a learning process. We’re a good team, we just have to be patient. The bats will wake up and we’ll be all set.”

The Bruins’ bats woke up against St. Luke’s on Thursday (March 27) after Storm starting pitcher David Carioto pitched six shutout innings against Brunswick in the season-opener on Tuesday. Brunswick used its balanced lineup to score seven runs after being limited to a pair of runs in its season-opening loss.

“They’re (St. Luke’s) is a good team, but we’re also a really good team,” Nook said. “Once the bats wake up, we can definitely get them. the goals are to take it one day at a time.”

Shepelsky, who will take his baseball skills to Lehigh University in the fall, is an excellent pitcher and would have been slated as ‘Wick’s No. 1 starter. However, two months ago, Shepelsky underwent hip labrum surgery and will miss the entire season. He is scheduled to have a second surgery next week, this time on the left side of his hip.

“I’m just going to try help these young guys,” said Shepelsky, who also served as one of the Bruins’ captains in 2024. “We’re a young team this year, so I’m going to try to do my part and try to be as vocal as possible and give what I know to these younger guys to make sure they are ready for the season.”

Junior right-hander Teddy Bancroft received the start on the mound for Brunswick against St. Luke’s in the season-opener. He was relieved by sophomore Reid Glanville and sophomore Julian Dyson. Johnny Gally, a sophomore and junior Nick Stern should also receive plenty of starts on the mound for the Bruins. Among some of Brunswick’s 2024 graduates were pitchers Michael Yeager, Reed Hyde and Calder Glassman.

Yeager is pitching at the University of Virginia, Hyde is playing at Middlebury and Glassman is on the pitching staff at Notre Dame.

“I think we have a tremendous staff,” Redahan said. “We lost a bunch of guys from last year, but we filled those positions right in. We are going to have a pretty good 1-2-3 punch starting wise.”

Sophomore Tyrus Ostrowski is a hard-throwing right-hander who will be looked upon to provide effective relief coming out of the bullpen.

“Ty Ostrowski is our everyday centerfielder, but he is going to be a guy we are going to rely on in the bullpen,” Redahan noted. “He can bring it, throw strikes and he mixes it up well. I see him playing a huge role as the season moves forward.”

As Redahan mentioned, Ostrowski is the Bruins’ every day/starting centerfielder. Ostrowski recently earned the honor of being named as a Perfect Game 2025 Preseason Underclass All-American.

He solidifies the outfield along with fellow sophomores Landon O’Hara and Jack Bylow. Among some of the Bruins’ infielders are Nook at shortstop, sophomore Jayden Montanez at second base, Julian Dyson, also a sophomore at third base and senior Michael Marini (first base).

Carlo Tucci, a junior catcher, broke his hand and may be sidelined for the season. Therefore, the Bruins are relying upon sophomore Andrew Gally and freshman Quinn Cunningham to fill the void behind the plate.

“We definitely have the injury bug going on, but we have to move forward,” Redahan noted. “We’re definitely going to have some growing pains and they just have to step up. The younger guys are going to have to fill roles and learn quick.”

Brunswick travels to NEPSAC opponent Loomis Chaffee School on Saturday, then visits neighborhood foe Greenwich Country Day School on Monday (March 31) for a 4:30 p.m. game.

“We have to pull all the strings together as a baseball team,” Shepelsky said. “We have to a complete team. We have to be able to pitch, we have to be able to hit, we have to be able to field. That’s the name of the game and I know we have the potential to do that, so once we do that, we’re going to be scary.”

Playing for the Bruins has given Shepelsky a wealth of fond memories. The Bruins advanced to the 2024 FAA Tournament final by defeating St. Luke’s in the semifinals, then lost to host Hamden Hall Country Day School in the championship game. Brunswick finished the 2024 season with a record of 14-6.

“It’s been an honor to wear Brunswick across the chest for four years,” he said. “I’m sad I can’t do it this year, but it’s been an honor to be a part of the team. To be a part of the legacy and names that have come through this program and just playing for the school as a whole is an honor.”

Shepelsky continued: “‘I’m excited to attend Lehigh this year. It’s a cool step to go out and get the opportunity to play Division I baseball, so I’m excited.”

Nook is also looking forward to fulfilling his especially significant role as one of ‘Wick’s captains.

“I will play the role of being a leader and I’m ready for it,” Nook said. “I have to have max effort day in and day out. I don’t have to be the most vocal guy on the field, but I have to give 100 percent effort every day.”