8/21/2020 baseball Edit

2023 RHP Zack Konstantinovsky commits to Rutgers baseball, talks decision

Chris Nalwasky • TheKnightReport

Beat Writer

Rutgers baseball received some good recruiting news this week when class of 2023 right-handed pitcher Zack Konstantinovsky of North Brunswick, N.J. committed to the team.

Konstantinovsky told the coaches earlier in the week and made his decision public on Friday.

“It's awesome,” Konstantinovsky told TKR on choosing Rutgers. “I'll be right at home with a great coaching staff. I've heard great things about them and in speaking to them, they fit my needs and how I feel about getting developed and to the next level. Academically, I'm excited to learn new things and hopefully start a new career coming out of Rutgers.”

Staying home was a big factor for Konstantinovsky, who now gets to play college ball about 10 minutes from where he grew up.

“Honestly, I really wanted to stay home with my family being here and them being able to see me play every game was big for me,” he said. “Knowing that it was right next to home was huge for me. My friends are here with me. I have some family in New York and they come see me play, too. That was a big sell for me.”

When Konstantinovsky broke the news to Scarlet Knights head coach Steve Owens, both were elated.

“He was 'tickled pink'. Yeah, so he was really excited,” Konstantinovsky said. “I was really excited, and to hear that was awesome because as much as I wanted them they wanted me so it was awesome.”

Aside from wanting to stay close to home, Konstantinovsky was impressed with the job Owens had done in the past at his previous stops as well as in his short time at Rutgers already.

“Just his resume. He has a winning record and he was voted the most underrated coach,” Konstantinovsky said. “I love his philosophy. He is gonna get you better and the pitching coach, coach (Brendan) Monaghan, who I've been speaking to for the past four or five months, I have a great relationship with him. I can communicate with him really easily. Everything just fit what I needed within their program.”

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Although there is still a lot of time before he signs on the dotted line, Konstantinovsky will become the second North Brunswick High School Raider to play baseball at Rutgers. Eric Reardon is a senior left-handed pitcher who will be back for his extra year of eligibility next season. And while the two won’t play with each other at Bainton Field, Reardon helped Konstantinovsky with his recruiting.

“He's been really a big part of this process,” Konstantinovsky said. “His dad works with the team and we're really close with him. (Reardon) went to my high school. He lives right close by so I've been talking to them. He even took me around Rutgers a little bit to show me some of the facilities and some of the academic buildings. I am very grateful for him.”

Konstantinovsky stands at about 6-foot-0 and 170-pounds and displays a fastball that gets up into the mid-80s with a strong change-up and slider.

Over the summer, Konstantinovsky got some games in with the Baseball Warehouse he fared well on the mound.

“We played in a couple of tournaments. Actually, our season just came to an end for the summer,” he said. “It's kind of surreal. Three months ago I was sitting at home thinking if we're gonna even have a baseball season at all and we just ended our summer so it's kind of crazy. But yeah, our team played in a couple of tournaments at Diamond Nation. We just finished a tournament with Perfect Game around the New Jersey and New York Area. It was a good summer season. I pitched well and our team did well and I'm looking forward to the fall.”

Last month, Konstantinovsky also played for North Brunswick in the Last Dance World Series. His coach, Mark Blevins, talked about his young rising sophomore standout as well.

“Zack is an extremely hard worker and he has a unique and natural baseball talent,” said Blevins, who was hired in 2017. “As a pitcher he has learned to be consistent with his mechanics and to maximize each pitch. He highlights a plus fastball for his age and a very effective change up. His timing and pitches resemble another former Baseball Warehouse player, Brandon Bielek, who is now pitching with the Houston Astros. The sky's the limit and he is lucky to have a great family to support him.”

Rutgers baseball hasn’t had a winning record since 2014, and Konstantinovsky hopes to get the Scarlet Knights competing again.

“I'm really happy to be a Knight,” Konstantinovsky said, “and to turn this program around.”