LEXINGTON – For two seasons, Brody Basilone has done whatever the Sinclair Community College baseball team needed to win.
The recent National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Region Championships were no exception for the Lexington graduate.
A starting pitcher most of the season until a strained elbow and injuries to others in the line-up cast him into the DH slot in the event at Battle Creek, Mich., Basilone helped the Tartans to their first NJCAA World Series by batting .333 with a grand slam, two doubles, six walks and eight RBIs in four games.
Sinclair advances to the national event in Enid, Okla., for the first time in school history. It’s the first time for any Ohio college to reach the finals since 1989.
“It was a game-time decision to put me in at DH,” the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Basilone said. “I was hitting the ball so they kept me in the lineup.”
Making it even sweeter was the 13-5 title game win came against Kellogg Community College, the host team for the event that eliminated Sinclair in the same tourney last year.
“We came in wanting revenge,” Basilone said. “They knocked us out last year and we didn’t want that to happen again. It was awesome.”
Basilone’s efforts came as no surprise to Sinclair coach Steve Dintaman, the ninth-year mentor with a 353-126 record at the Dayton-based school. In Basilone’s two seasons at the JUCO, Sinclair has posted a 100-21 record, the most wins of any class in the school’s storied baseball history.
“Brody is a soft-spoken guy. He doesn’t say much. But he leads by example,” Dintaman said. “He has worked his butt off both pitching and hitting … whatever the team has needed.”
The value of Basilone’s grand slam in Sinclair’s 11-7 tournament-opener in Michigan was immeasurable, according to Dintaman.
“It was just one of those big-time moments against the top seed of the tournament and against a very good pitcher. (But) he hit great all weekend long … huge at-bats all weekend,” Dintamin said. “It gave everyone a big confidence boost.”
Basilone, an All-Ohio performer for the Minutemen before graduating in 2014, said he wasn’t looking for a home run.
“I had two strikes on me and I was just trying to get a base hit and score a few runs. But he hung a curve and I put a good swing on it,” he said. “I definitely liked the grand slam rather than just a base hit.”
Basilone had success on the mound and at the plate this season, a rare double-threat for the Tartans. In 10 starts, he was 4-4 with 4.00 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 54 innings. He batted .313 in limited duty with four home runs and 36 RBI.
He had one relief appearance in Michigan, working two innings.
“He did as much as he could,” Dintamin said. “He hasn’t been able to throw much lately and he got worn down.”
Basilone, whose fastball topped out at 92 mph this spring, thinks this week will make a huge difference in his mound preparations.
“My arm is getting better … getting stronger each day,” Basilone said. “Hopefully I can pitch quite a few innings (in Oklahoma).”
If not, he will be ready with the bat.
“At this point, it doesn’t matter to me. All I care about is winning. If I can’t do one, let me do the other and just put me in the lineup. I just want to do whatever I can to help the team win,” he said.
Basilone recently earned his associate’s degree in liberal arts from Sinclair and finished on the Dean’s List. He will spend the summer lifting weights and getting ready for his next step at Northern Kentucky University, an NCAA Division I school just south of Cincinnati. He will likely only pitch at NKU.
“I want to take some time off this summer and rest my arm. My weight coach for next season will have me on a program. I want to get my weight up to 205-210 by the end of summer, get my strength and velocity up.”
Before then, however, he will join his teammates Thursday at 6 a.m. for a 15-hour bus ride to Enid and the David Allen Memorial Ballpark.
“We will be playing against some of the best teams in the country,” Basilone said. “Every team has guys signed to play for SEC schools, (professional) draft picks. It will be a big change in competition. A huge stadium with thousands of fans. It’s just gonna be the real deal.”
2016 NJCAA Division II World Series participants by region:
East – Monroe (N.Y.) Community College (33-14)
Midwest – Parkland (Ill.) Community College (45-14)
North – Sinclair (Ohio) Community College (50-10)
North Central – McHenry County (Ill.) Community College (48-10)
North Plains – North Iowa Area Community College (47-14)
Northeast – Mercer County (N.J.) Community College (48-8)
Plains – Western Oklahoma State Community College (46-16)
South – Jones County (Miss.) Community College (49-8)
Southeast – Brunswick (N.C.) Community College (40-16)
Southwest – GateWay (Ariz.) Community College (40-20)
