BREWSTER, Mass. — For the Brewster Whitecaps, Day 1 of the MLB Draft was a celebration of the past. Six former players who donned the navy blue and seafoam across the 2024 and 2025 seasons heard their names called in the first four rounds — the most first-day selections manager Jamie Shevchik could ever remember in his 12 years leading the team.

The draftees joined a list of players the organization has helped make it to pro ball that features the likes of Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner and three-time American League MVP Aaron Judge. It’s a list that showcases Brewster's rich baseball history.

That same day, current Whitecaps shortstop Jamie Laskofski had to remind everyone that the future is just as bright.

With Brewster’s July 11 matchup against the Cotuit Kettleers in a 3-3 stalemate in the bottom of the seventh, Laskofski swung on a 3-2 pitch out of the hand of right-hander Tyler Finkbeiner and gave it a ride.

Laskofski’s better known for his line-drive approach than home run pop, but on that occasion he sent the ball in the air on the perfect trajectory to carry over the right field wall. With one swing, Laskofski gave his team the lead in an eventual 7-4 win.

The blast — his second home run of the season — might’ve been one of his most dazzling at-bats, but it was far from the first time the potential future Day 1 pick has come through.

“He’s certainly been the most valuable player on our team,” Shevchik said.

Laskofski, who joined the roster as a temporary player, has blossomed into its star, leading the team in OPS with a .323/.443/.430 slash line while appearing in all but one of its 28 games. His talents haven’t gone unnoticed outside of the Cape, either, with Baseball America ranking him as its No. 58 draft prospect for 2027 in its post-2026 rankings, and North Carolina deciding to bring him into the fold after two successful years at William & Mary.

“Jamie Laskofski is making a name for himself,” Shevchik said. “This is a mid-major William & Mary kid who’s now on the radar of every professional baseball scout in the country, every team, by what he’s doing out here. I don’t think that he’s got a long way to go. I think you’re getting a glimpse of what a future infielder in the big leagues is.”

Laskofski got the baseball bug from his father, Mike, who himself played at William & Mary. Mike was a member of the Tribe from 1994-96, earning All-CAA honors twice and setting the single-season record for on-base percentage with a .524 mark in his final campaign.

After Mike hung up the cleats, he found himself lacing up Jamie’s.

“He put a bat in my hands ever since I can remember,” Jamie said. “Our house has a bunch of his old stuff in it, so I was always around (baseball). I fell in love with it pretty quickly.”

Mike coached Jamie up to age 13, leading Little League, all-star and travel ball teams, winning a handful of championships in the process.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to coach him and his teammates, help to teach them the game and how to learn the fundamentals,” Mike said. “It was a great opportunity as a parent to make that connection with Jamie.”

Soon enough, though, the younger Laskofski had established himself as a star at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia. He found himself as Perfect Game’s No. 20 shortstop prospect in the state and had to make a decision on where he was going to play at the next level.

For Jamie, it was an easy choice.

William & Mary was where his father played, where his mother, Clare, and older sister Kiera attended. And while it was never an explicit goal of his to follow in his family's footsteps, it’s the path he ended up taking.

As a father, Mike was excited that his son was joining the Tribe, but not because of any sort of legacy; rather, because Jamie had found the place that was right for him.

“We do have a connection with William & Mary, but it never was anything that we really talked about,” Mike said. “It wasn’t anything that we were encouraging or pushing our kids to go to that school. We really wanted him to make a decision for himself.”

Laskofski hit the ground running as a freshman, getting on base 21 times in his first 11 games, and carried that success throughout the season. When it was all said and done, he sported a .360/.423/.467 slash line and was named to the All-CAA second team and CAA All-Rookie team.

Numbers-wise, his campaign was an objective success. Laskofski made college ball look simple, but for him, underneath it all, was a learning experience. Gone were the days of reaching base over half the time.

“I came in a little immature,” Laskofski said. “I was just a young kid, so I had to learn how to play college baseball, because it’s a completely different game. You’re not going to hit .500 in a college baseball season. Just learning how to deal with failure was huge for me.”

Laskofski had a pair of veteran outfielders in his corner in the form of senior Christian Rush and graduate Ben Parker to keep his head on straight and navigate the ebbs and flows of the game. He described the opportunity to pick their brain as “very beneficial,” and carried the lessons learned into his sophomore year, which was arguably even more impressive than his first.

Laskofski kept his on-base ability at the forefront of his game, batting .355 with a .464 OBP, but increased his power output, going from just two home runs as a freshman to 13, raising his slugging percentage to .665. He also increased his stolen base total from 12 to 36.

The jump in production helped the shortstop capture the 2026 CAA Player of the Year award and put him on the map of the Whitecaps. Still, there were questions unanswered, and things to prove.

“The discussions that we had two weeks before the season was, ‘who are (we going to release) when we had to release guys.’ His name was always brought up because he was a mid-major guy,” Shevchik said. “We didn’t even know how good he can actually be, but he had some advocates in the coaches chat. Thank God we ended up keeping the kid.”

Heading into the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star break, Laskofski has fully repaid Brewster’s coaching staff for having faith in him, helping the team to an 18-7-3 record, good enough for second in the East Division, behind an .873 OPS, which puts him fourth in the league.

The adjustment period that can come with jumping from a metal bat to lumber never came for Laskofski, who has produced steadily since the first game of the season, where he launched a home run over the right field wall.

The only thing that stands between Laskofski and a run at CCBL MVP is his looming departure after the break.

The rising junior has established himself against the best crop of collegiate summer league pitching talent available, and with nothing left to prove, he’s set to turn the page back to college ball. This year, however, Laskofski won’t be back on campus in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Before his campaign on the Cape kicked off, Laskofski entered the transfer portal and found a new home at North Carolina, the 2026 College World Series runner-ups. The Tar Heels believed in him while others were uncertain, and he honored their belief with a commitment.

“That’s the competitive side of me,” Laskofski said. “I want to go play in front of the biggest crowds, biggest games, and I want to win.”

Laskofski is still complimentary of William & Mary, saying he “can’t really say a bad thing” about the program, but the Tribe couldn’t offer him what North Carolina can in terms of competition level and development.

Making the leap to the high-major level, where he has immediate access to both, was a popular decision in the Laskofski household, even with the familial ties to his previous stop.

“I think the culture there is unmatched,” Mike said. “(I’m) really just excited for him to have this opportunity to continue (to) develop, trying to be the best baseball player that he can be.”

At UNC, Laskofski will be attempting to fill the shoes of Jake Schaffner.

Schaffner manned shortstop for the Tar Heels in 2026 after spending two seasons at North Dakota State. Schaffner, like Laskofski, was known for his on-base skills as a mid-major talent, posting a .367 average and .435 OBP in his final year as a Bison.

UNC helped take his game to the next level, rising from Baseball America’s No. 98 draft prospect to its No. 52 prospect to the 20th overall pick, being selected by the Boston Red Sox after slashing .356/.467/.552 with 26 stolen bases.

Laskofski met the outgoing star during his visit to Chapel Hill and will now try to replicate his leap.

After seeing who he truly is up close, it wouldn’t surprise anyone in the Whitecaps organization if, in around a year’s time, Laskofski does it and is among the handful of alumni looked back at with fond memories swirling on Day 1 of the MLB Draft.

There is still work to be done for that potential future to become a reality, but that very reason is why he put his faith in UNC.

“They’re very, very good with bringing in transfer guys and making them draft picks the next year — that’s ultimately the goal,” Laskofski said. “You saw what they did with Schaffner; I like to think we play pretty similar brands of baseball. Seeing what they did with him and how good he got in one year, it made it a very, very easy decision for me.”