There’s life after Zack in North Brunswick; as solid starters and key hitters return for Raiders

A player like Zack Konstantinovsky – the Central Jersey Sports Radio Player of the Year in 2023 – comes along once in a lifetime.

But with his pitching (and hitting) talents now a few miles away in Piscataway, where he’s on the mound for Rutgers, North Brunswick will be just fine in 2024, thank you.

And that’s even with a new head coach, as Mark Blevins stepped down at the end of last year, and Jake Rosenberg took over as head coach.

Yes, that’s the same Jake Rosenberg who played his high school ball wearing a Raider uniform. Along the way, he’s been an assistant at St. Joseph-Metuchen, a head coach at Piscataway Magnet, and a football assistant for North Brunswick.

But back to the players. While losing a player of Zack Konstantinovsky’s caliber – he gave up just five earned runs all year in 2023, while hitting eight home runs – would be a tall enough order for anyone to overcome, many other key parts also graduated, like Frankie Garbolino and EJ Accetura and Omar Carreras, who smacked eight home runs last year, and hit for a .461 average.

And yet, there’s plenty of talent left. Yomar Carreras, who batted .411 with two home runs and 18 RBIs last year, is back for his senior season.

On the mound, Alejandro Jabar and Kyle Anderson are coming off junior years where they’d be the clear No. 1 ace on a lot of teams. Now, they’re an excellent 1a and 1b combo. Anderson pitched to a 2.05 ERA last year in 41 innings pitched, while Jabar threw 37 1/3 innings, with a 2.06 ERA.

And surely, Rosenberg will discover some new talent.

Rosenberg may have some work cut out for him in 2024, but says he won’t try and “reinvent the wheel.” Instead, he hoped to build on the groundwork laid before him by Blevins.

Click below to hear new North Brunswick baseball coach Jake Rosenberg talk about the Raiders’ upcoming season: