From Surge to Heartbreak: Leprechauns’ Season Ends One Win Away from Postseason
The Royal Oak Leprechauns’ 2025 season unfolded as a roller‐coaster of promise and near‐misses. In Year 2 under field manager Chris Faust – a former Leprechaun player and two‐time Northwoods League champion with Traverse City – the team was stacked with local talent and experience. Early on the offense showed its potential: in late May Royal Oak swept a two‐game series against Traverse City by a combined 10–4 score, fueled by superb pitching and timely hitting. In that series opener, Justin Brown tossed four scoreless innings and fellow veteran Ryan Kruse followed with two more shutout frames, setting the tone for a 5–2 win. Hitting the ball was a collective effort, but one sign of things to come was Notre Dame recruit Parker Brzustewicz, who in mid‐season delivered a clutch debut: going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two walks in his first game with Royal Oak.
As the calendar turned to July, the Leprechauns were hovering around .500 but streaks in either direction kept the standings tight. One of the team’s best offensive explosions came late in the season: on August 7 they racked up 21 hits in a 12–10 victory over Kalamazoo. That night Oakland University standout Aidan Schuck was the catalyst – a monster 4-for-5 with two home runs (including a grand slam) and five RBIs – and Michigan State’s Noah Bright went 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs as well. Schuck’s performance earned him Northwoods League Player of the Night honors. Earlier, veteran slugger Ryan Tyranski (University of Cincinnati) provided pop as well: he hit key home runs in the 14–10 win at Kalamazoo on August 4 and again in the 11–3 win on August 5, giving Royal Oak early leads in both high-scoring ballgames. Throughout the summer other hitters like Rhett Roeser (Wayne State) and Danny Cook (Pepperdine) chipped in timely RBIs, so that on any given night the lineup could heat up.
The pitching staff had its own heroes. Rookie starters often delivered quality outings: for example, lefty Brody Fahnestock threw six shutout innings to pick up the win on August 5, and Jovan Gill went five strong innings (four hits, one run) in the August 7 win. Closer Nick Brady emerged as the go-to reliever in high-leverage situations: he locked down the ninth inning in that 12–10 rout for the save. By season’s end the pitching was playing a big role in Royal Oak’s five-of-six win surge that put them in contention for their first playoff spot.
Royal Oak’s playoff hopes came down to the wire. In early August they headed up I-96 just behind Kalamazoo for a pivotal four-game set. The Leprechauns split the first two games on the road – a 10–2 loss on Aug 6 followed by that thrilling 12–10 comeback win on Aug 7 – which left them just a half-game back with the head-to-head tie-breaker in hand. Faust’s squad had to then go face Traverse City, who had already clinched the top playoff spot. In Traverse City’s first game on August 8, a wild finish doomed Royal Oak: the Pit Spitters rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to win 5–3, officially eliminating the Leprechauns from contention. Royal Oak fell behind early, rallied to tie 3–3, but key errors and a late wild pitch put Traverse ahead for good. The finale on Aug 9 was an extra-inning thriller in which Traverse City overcame a six-run deficit to walk off 8–7, giving the Pit Spitters home-field advantage in the playoffs but crushing Royal Oak’s campaign.
In the end, the Leprechauns finished 35–37 overall (20–17 in the second half), missing the playoffs by the slimmest of margins. Their season had been defined by resilient late surges, balanced attack, and strong leadership from Faust, but a couple of untimely losses at season’s end cost them a home playoff game on August 10. Despite the final disappointment, the Royal Oak team’s development – driven by a mix of returning stars and new recruits – bodes well for future seasons.