Konstantinovsky relaxed, but laser-focused heading into GMC Tournament title tilt

When Zack Konstantinovsky is on the mound, it’s a pretty good chance North Brunswick wins the ballgame.

When he’s in the lineup – which he is every time he pitches – well, that just adds to the cause.

All that being said, he will face one of the more potent lineups in the GMC Sunday afternoon in the league’s championship game when his Raiders take on St. Joseph of Metuchen for a second straight year, seeking their second straight tournament title, a year after winning their first.

You can hear Saturday’s GMC Tournament Final from East Brunswick Magnet School’s Ray Cipperly Field on Central Jersey Sports Radio, driven by Auto Lounge of Edison. Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will call all the action with first pitch set for 1:00, pregame at 12:30, after the game was moved from its original date of Saturday by the GMC due to rain in the forecast. Click here to listen.

But that won’t bother North Brunswick’s starting pitcher. Konstantinovsky is a machine, and nothing fazes him.

Case in point, he got out of a bases loaded two-out jam after a two-out single, followed by a bunt with a strikeout. It was the first time a GMC team had loaded the bases against him in his entire high school career. (The only other teams to do it are Hunterdon Central and Hillsborough.) And for what it’s worth, he struck out the side in the inning.

Coach Mark Blevins says sometimes, when Zack allows a runner on base – which is rare – he bares down and focuses even more.

Zack says he just sticks to his strengths: throwing strikes and getting hitters out, no matter the situation or the opponent. And he knows he has a good defense behind him who will handle the ball if it’s put into play.