LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — After making a name for himself at Russia High School and completing his first year of college baseball at Marshall University, Braylon Cordonnier is back in familiar surroundings, taking the field for the Lima Locos this summer.

The former Russia Raider is using the summer season as an opportunity to continue developing his game while applying lessons he learned during his freshman year at Marshall.

Cordonnier said adjusting to playing third base at the Division I level was more difficult than he anticipated.

"I think offensively especially and defensively last year down at Marshall, I realized I was like, wow, down at 3rd, it's a lot more difficult than I anticipated. So, taking that and all that I learned from playing third down there and bringing up here and it's been good to come here and compete and just kind of see what I can do," Cordonnier said.

At Russia High School, Cordonnier wasn't just part of winning teams — he helped build them, leading the Raiders to four straight state final four appearances, a baseball championship in 2022 and a basketball title in 2025. That level of success caught the attention of Lima Locos head coach Chad Ehrnsberger.

"I think it's huge, obviously he's got talent and he's a great kid, great work ethic. Again coming from west central Ohio, I mean you see moments of domination really. You know, he's had some really good at bats and has had some really good games for us. You know, and there's a lot more in the tank. You know, I think once he gets comfortable and gets playing every day and he sees the kind of potential he has, I think he's going to take it and run with it," Ehrnsberger said.

As the summer continues, Cordonnier plans to make the most of his time with the Locos and take advantage of every opportunity he gets on the field.

"Just looking back, I'd just be like, even if there's some days that I didn't want to go hit or go lift or whatever, somebody else is out there doing it," said Cordonnier. "So, just taking advantage of all the time that I had in high school of pushing myself to be the best version of who I am now is just really something I would look back on and tell myself to keep on doing."

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