North Brunswick has had no shortage of extraordinary talents within their sports teams this year. Still, when they can come together and click on the same page, it can elevate a team to new heights, and that’s what the NB Baseball team is experiencing at the moment amidst their surge to the GMC final. The season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster for the Raiders with a roller coaster of winning streaks and losing streaks along with the injury bug hitting the team. But they’ve hit their stride at the right time and it resulted in a strong run of form winning 10 of their last 12 with their key players clicking at the perfect time.

One of those players is the team’s ace Zack Konstantinovsky who’s enjoying a downright historic season for the Raiders. In 53 innings this season, the Rutgers commit has posted a 0.66 ERA with a 101:1 K/BB ratio. His efforts at the plate haven’t gone unnoticed with him posting a .371 batting average with 4 home runs added on. Konstantinovsky attributes his success to his motivation saying, “I think my motivation comes from my competitiveness and my want to win and be the best. No matter what it is, hitting, pitching, fielding, lifting, or watching videos, I try to perfect everything I do to ensure that I am doing everything possible to be the best.”

Another one of the key performers on this strong Raiders team is Omar Carreras who’s enjoying a strong season at the plate. Carreras posted a .434 batting average, a .711 slugging percentage, along with 3 home runs in a stellar senior campaign. His presence at third base calms any pitcher like Konstantinovsky on the mound and he gives credit to his “high work ethic and dedication” as Omar put it. “It’s all about putting in the work all of the time and now it’s showing off on the field.”

Those two may grab the headlines and the attention but the contributions of guys like Yomar Carreras (.352 BA), Kyle Anderson (2.90 ERA), Alejandro Jabar (2.83 ERA), and the midseason addition of Frandy Martinez (.328 BA) have all injected the necessary juice into the team to guide them to the promised land of the GMC Championship Game against a tough foe in St. Joes. The interesting piece with this team is that all of the players listed excluding Martinez will be returning for the 2023 campaign. No matter what happens in the final game, they still have loads of potential, and with talents like Konstantinovsky, the Carreras brothers, and the development the staff has shown, the sky is the limit for the Raiders.

The journey to this point was buoyed by a 7-0 win against Colonia, and then a pair of thrilling games which saw the Raiders defeat Middlesex 14-13 and East Brunswick 1-0 in a 12 inning thriller. The conclusion to this fantastic story will be on Saturday, May 28th at Ray Cipperly Field (EB VoTech) against St. Joe's. Good luck Raiders!