For anyone who has been following the Bourne Braves this season, the name Andrew Costello rings a bell. The catcher out of Erie, Pennsylvania has lit up the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) so far this season, leading the league in hits and being ranked within the top three of almost every major offensive statistic.

Not only has Costello been one of the best players on the Cape this summer, but he’s also one of the youngest at 19 years old. Less than a year ago, Costello was still a prospect in high school, attending Cathedral Prep High School in Erie. Entering this past fall, Costello projected to be picked in the coming 2026 MLB Draft. Despite knowing this, he passed on the draft and chose to leave high school early to join Wake Forest for the spring season.

“It was a tough decision,” said Costello. “I left a lot behind by skipping my senior year, but it’s a decision that I’m super happy about looking back.”

Family Ties

When Andrew got on campus at Wake Forest this past winter, he was greeted by a familiar face: His older brother and Braves’ teammate, Luke.

“He definitely affected my decision,” said Andrew. “I mean, playing with your brother in one of the highest levels of baseball is something that’s hard to pass up.”

Luke Costello had already been established as a key member of Wake’s baseball program in 2025. In his freshman season with the Demon Deacons, he hit 10 home runs and batted .290 over 41 games played. Luke was “pumped” upon finding out his brother would be joining him at Wake.

“He’s my best friend, and just being able to have another chance to be able to play with him was special,” said Luke. “It ended up being one of the most fun years of my life, watching him go out and have a good year like he did and just being able to go win games with him was one of the coolest things I could ever ask for.”

“He sort of taught me everything I know,” said Andrew. “We’d wake up knowing we were going to grind together and try to get better.”

Throughout their lives, the Costello brothers pushed each other in workouts, practices and games to be better on the baseball diamond. Despite the competitive nature of their relationship, they both shared the same driving force behind their competitive nature: Brotherly love.

“We’re very competitive, trying to be better than each other, but at the end of the day it’s all love,” said Andrew.

“It’s all out of love,” echoed Luke. “It’ll all be out of good spirits if I say something to him during the game or he says something to me. It’s a great way to have each other’s backs and make each other better. Iron sharpens iron.”

Gamecocks in the making

Andrew finished his freshman season with 39 games played for the Demon Deacons. In his limited action, the younger brother hit .244 with three doubles and four home runs. After Wake Forest’s season came to a close with a loss in the Morgantown Regional of the NCAA Tournament, Andrew entered the transfer portal. Ranked among the top 10 players in the portal by ESPN, Costello committed to South Carolina

“It was a very tough decision because I loved all my people at Wake (Forest),” said Andrew. “ I really enjoyed my time.”

According to Andrew, his decision to leave was influenced by the departeure of Bill Cilento. Cilento was the associate head coach at Wake Forest for Andrew’s freshman season. Just a week before the rising sophomore committed, the Gamecocks hired Cilento to the same role on their coaching staff.

“Bill Cilento was my guy… He is like a second dad to me, so seeing him leave (Wake Forest) really broke my heart,” said Andrew. “I really had no intention of leaving, but when he left it felt like following him was a great decision for me.”

Cilento joined new South Carolina head coach Kevin Schnall's staff. Schnall was most recently the head coach at Coastal Carolina, leading the Chanticleers all the way to a runner-up finish in the 2025 Men’s College World Series.

“Schnall is a great catching guy,” said Andrew. “I really trusted that if I go there, I’m going to come out a better version of myself as a man, as a catcher, and as a hitter. At the end of the day, it’s all about development.”

Joining him at South Carolina is his Braves’ teammate and catching room companion, Brice Estep. After three years at Coastal Carolina with Schnall, Estep entered the transfer portal and made the decision to join his former coach with the Gamecocks.

“Schnall was everything for me at Coastal,” said Estep about his collegiate manager. “When he left, it was a no-doubter to go with him. He brought me into college baseball and gave me an opportunity, so I couldn’t have done anything better than to go with him.”

Andrew and Estep aren’t the only Braves on their way to South Carolina this coming spring. Luke Costello and Garrett Michel also made the decision to transfer to the Gamecocks this summer.

Cruising on the Cape

Though Andrew and the other future Gamecocks are excited for their opportunities in the coming collegiate season, they’re focused on one thing right now: Winning with the Braves

So far this season, Andrew has been a big part of the Braves’ success. Despite being only one semester out of high school, he has established himself as one of the best hitters on the Cape. Fourteen games into the summer, Costello is hitting .375 through 48 at-bats in the early season with four doubles and two home runs. Among qualified hitters in the Cape Cod Baseball League this season he ranks second in OPS (slugging + on-base percentage)

“I didn’t really do as good as I wanted to in the school season, but I knew that it was only a matter of time until it was gonna come,” said Andrew. “I really trusted myself and have a ton of belief in myself.”

“His love for the game and his energy for baseball on a daily basis has helped him find success,” said Braves’ Field Manager Scott Landers about Andrew’s strong start. “He’s got a real feel, in baseball IQ, for this game that I think really helps him.”

According to his teammates and coaches, Andrew isn’t just supporting the team on the field. His personality, both on and off the field, has been noticed by everyone in the clubhouse. With players coming from all around the country to play together for the first time, Andrew’s outgoing and joyful disposition has helped the team become closer and develop chemistry.

“It’s great. He’s a very high-energy person,” said Estep about his future Gamecocks teammate. “He can really cool down a situation and make everything fun.”

“He’s an energetic, fun kid,” said Landers. “It helps keep it light, and it goes beyond just baseball. It keeps the team upbeat and on a good level.”

With the Braves just over a quarter of the way through the season, Andrew and his teammates still have a lot of work to do. Searching for it’s third straight CCBL title, Bourne currently sits in the top spot of the league’s West Division.