Curt Conrad, Staff Reporter

He doesn’t draw Samson-like strength from those free-flowing locks spilling out from under his Galion Graders baseball cap, but Brody Basilone is in no hurry to trim his signature mane.

A 2014 Lexington graduate, Basilone is the most easily recognizable of the Graders. His shoulder-length brown hair is impossible to overlook.

“I used to have a buzz cut during my senior year of high school. I just wanted to try something different, so I let it grow,” Basilone said. “It doesn’t give me superhuman strength, but I wish it did.”

His unorthodox hairdo — the rest of his teammates have opted for more traditional close-cropped styles — has become a topic of conversation in the dugout.

“It’s pretty funny,” said Graders pitcher Justin Lewis, a Shelby High School product who played alongside Basilone on the Mansfield-Galion American Legion team. “He had just started growing it out during the American Legion season. I follow him on Twitter and Instagram, so I’ve seen the progress.”

“I think some of the guys are jealous,” Basilone joked.

It’s not just all that hair that allows Basilone to stand out for the Graders, a first-year franchise in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. He is batting .267, second on the team among players with at least 15 at bats, with a double and two runs batted in.

“He hit well last year, but I think he has gotten a lot better,” Lewis said. “He hit the ball to the opposite field a lot last year. He’s pulling the ball more and has more power.

“He also is throwing a lot harder. He’s gotten stronger and it has given him more velocity.”

A right-hander, Basilone has made two appearances on the mound for Galion. He is 0-1 with a 12.00 earned run average.

The small sample size is hardly indicative of Basilone’s body of work on the hill. He was 3-0 with a 3.11 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 37.2 innings pitched for Sinclair Community College in Dayton in the spring. He also batted .367 with 17 extra base hits, 37 runs batted in and a 1.042 OPS as Sinclair went 50-11.

“Playing at Sinclair has been a great experience,” Basilone said. “I love it down there and it is one of the best junior college programs in the nation.”

While at Lexington, Basilone was the Ohio Cardinal Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2013 when he went 7-1 with a 0.70 ERA. He was an All-OCC first team selection in 2014, but a knee injury scared off Division I recruiters.

“I was hearing from some Division I schools after my sophomore year,” Basilone said. “I had knee surgery and wasn’t able to go to any camps.”

Basilone will return to Sinclair in the fall for his sophomore year. He hopes to sign with a Division I school after that. A strong showing in the highly-regarded GLSCL wouldn’t hurt. Galion was 2-6 going into Wednesday’s game against Northern Ohio.

“We are a first-year franchise and we came together late, but I think we are going to win some games in this league,” Basilone said. “We’re all getting used to each other. There is a lot of very good players on this team.”

So is Basilone more comfortable in left field — he made a couple of outstanding plays in Galion’s home win over Cincinnati last week — or on the mound?

“I don’t know at this point,” Basilone said. “I’ll do whatever the teams needs me to do. I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”

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