Capitalizing on both his hometown, Deland, to one side, and acres of unsettled land to the other, Brunnig lived the dream of most young children, with half days typical and afternoons in the sun commonplace.

“You have more opportunities to do other stuff,” Brunnig says. “You don’t have to throw as much time into sitting in the classroom. It’s basically studying at your own pace…I think a lot of the time, especially up through eighth and ninth grade, in the classroom is wasted.”

Without a school as he neared high school age, though, it became increasingly likely that the childhood idyll he had always known would become a thing of the past, if only to be able to continue to play baseball.

But due to the enactment of a new state law allowing home-schooled students to play on private school-affiliated teams or local public high schools, that transition proved unnecessary. Instead, Brunnig donned the uniform of Warner Christian Academy during the three years before college but continued to learn from his own textbooks—with outside aid for Spanish, chemistry and advanced mathematics classes.

Then came Harvard.

“I’m still adjusting to it,” Brunnig says. “It’s been a learning experience getting adjusted to the school process the whole time.”

Things may change, but playing ball and staying slightly aloof never do. No matter what, the comfort level on the mound is the same, the feel of the seams familiar.

If only he could get used to those darn reporters.

—Staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.,/i>