Are y’all ready for some ball? Y’alls season gets underway

BY MARC HARDIN | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

Ah, the sights and sounds of nearby professional hardball. The sharp crack of wooden bats smacking baseballs in a cozy ballpark, just a short drive from where you live. The menacing sizzle of near-100 mph fastballs popping in the catcher’s mitt, right here in your own backyard. And the gleeful pronouncements of pro ball players competing for the love of sport in a place you call home.

Y’all ready for some local baseball?

The men in red, white and sky blue certainly are.

The Y’alls are back for their 20th baseball season in Florence. They opened the schedule May 11 against the Gateway Grizzlies in the first of 51 home games at Thomas More Stadium, where attendees can enjoy perennial fan-favorite promotions on game days Tuesday through Sunday.

Are you ready for $2 Tuesdays, Wednesday Dollar Dogs, Thirsty Thursdays, Fireworks Fridays, Rockin’ Saturdays, Family Sundays and a whole bunch of theme nights including Country Night, Margaritaville Night, Star Wars Night and Super Hero Night?

How about a winning independent baseball team, to boot? Something to be proud of while it kicks around the rest of the Frontier League, now in its 30th season. Something like a championship squad, which Florence general manager Max Johnson envisions.

Johnson wants that for you, Northern Kentucky: a championship-caliber Florence Y’alls that you can call your very own. Florence has made the league championship series three times – in 2012, ‘17 and ‘19 –but never captured the crown. The franchise has won a record-tying three Frontier League championships, but those titles came when the team was known as the Erie Sailors (1994), Johnstown Steal (1995) and Johnstown Johnnies (2000). The franchise is tied with Rockford, Schaumburg and River City for the most league titles.

“We see ourselves as the premier team in the league, so we plan on being back in contention after missing the playoffs last year,” said Johnson. Florence posted a .545 winning percentage from 2012-21 with two division titles, two runner-up finishes and three third-place finishes. “We look forward to this being the first Florence Y’alls team to win it all.”

Get your tickets!

A lot of people did just that last year when the Y’alls’ attendance soared by 40 percent with the seventh-best home attendance in the league, a development Johnson attributes to an affordable, fan-friendly atmosphere including those enticing theme nights.

The Y’alls drew an average of 2,158 fans per game, up from 1,555 the previous year when they were a first-place team. That’s an increase of 600 fans per game. This despite the team’s worst record in 11 years, 39-56, good for seventh place out of eight teams in the West Division of the Frontier League, an MLB Partner League.

This season, Johnson has additional reasons for fans to flock to Thomas More Stadium. The team is better, and it’s under new management with the return of Chad Rhoades in his debut season as manager after serving two stints as Florence pitch- ing coach, the last in 2020-21. Rhoades, a former minor league pitching coach for the Miami Marlins after reaching the Double-A playing level in the Red Sox system, spent last year in Portugal with his wife while conducting remote pitching classes. He’s also a former independent league player.

While coaching in the Marlins system in 2019, Rhoades oversaw a handful of eventual Florence players, including last year’s wins leaders Jonaiker Villalobos and Edgar Martinez, relief pitcher Karl Craigie, and position players Harrison DiNicola and Luis Pintor.

Craigie is the Y’alls’ new pitching coach. Together, he and Rhoades hope to whittle the team’s 2022 earned run average of 5.19, which ranked 10th in the 16-team Frontier League, the largest of its kind in professional baseball with over 1,000 players moved to the majors. The Y’alls allowed the fifth-most hits last season and third-most home runs in the league.

“With Chad having been a pitching coach, he’s definitely going to have an eye on the pitchers,” Johnson said. “Craigie is from the same coaching system, so they are on the same page.”

Fielding was a strength last season for the Y’alls. They ranked seventh in the league in fielding percentage and third in double plays turned.

Hitting also was a strength as the Y’alls ranked in the league’s top half in several categories, including sixth in slugging percentage, sixth in doubles, seventh in batting average, seventh in homers and eighth in runs scored.

The hope is the bats and gloves continue making a difference, the pitching improves and the wins pile up in bunches.

“We return a lot of good hitters, but we’re going to be more balanced this year,” Johnson said. “We will have some new pitching coming in to challenge guys.”

Among other top players expected back are slugger Brennan Price, fellow mainstays Ray Zuberer and Craig Massey, and pitcher Jake McMahill. A key newcomer expected to make an impact is one-time major leaguer Mike Kickham, a former San Francisco sixth-round draft pick who played for the Giants, Red Sox and Dodgers as late as 2021. He’s made 21 career appearances and five starts in parts of four MLB seasons.

Price, a former Milwaukee Brewers draft pick, hit .309 last year, slugged .602 and belted a team-high 24 homers, tied for sixth in the league. He added a team-best 91 RBIs, tied for second in the league, in just 327 at-bats. Massey hit .299. Zuberer hit .285. DiNicola hit .281.

McMahill made five appearances, including four starts, last season. He went 1-1 and posted a 2.92 ERA, which ranked second on the team among hurlers with at least 20 innings pitched. Villalobos (19) and Martinez (15) led the pitching staff in starts. Joe Dougherty led with 10 saves in 35 appearances, second-most on the team.

CovCath’s Mayer drafted by Raiders; Ryle’s Morgan signs with Steelers

Covington Catholic alum Michael Mayer has been selected by the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 35 in the 2023 NFL Draft.

After not having his name called in the first round in what many considered to be a surprise, Mayer didn’t have to wait long in the second round, becoming the fourth pick of the day.

He joins a Raiders team that is going through an offensive transition as Jimmy Garoppolo was signed in the offseason after the franchise released Derek Carr.

Mayer is the first CovCath graduate drafted to the NFL in program history. In his high school playing days, he was the 2019 Kentucky Mr. Football and won the 2019 Gatorade Kentucky Football Player of the Year after recording 50 receptions for 970 yards and 15 touchdowns. In his Colonels career, Mayer recorded 110 receptions, 2,231 yards and 30 touchdowns, winning Class 5A titles in 2017 and 2019.

In his college career, Mayer has been the most productive tight end in Notre Dame history in his three seasons with the Fighting Irish, collecting the most receiving yards all-time (2,009), as well as 180 receptions and 18 touchdowns. His 180 receptions are the third-most in program history. The last Northern Kentucky player taken in the NFL draft was Holy Cross linebacker

Derrick Barnes, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round in 2021.

Another Northern Kentucky football standout has joined the NFL. University of Minnesota quarterback and Ryle alum Tanner Morgan has signed as an undrafted free agent to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft but was quickly signed by the Steelers.

Morgan holds 12 records from his time at Minnesota, most notably with 3,253 passing yards and 30 touchdowns during the 2019 season. He went 33-14 as a starter and had a career completion percentage of 62% during his time as a Golden Gopher.

He graduated from Ryle in 2017 and is in the all-time KHSAA record book for being 10th in completions (681) and ninth in passing yards (10,303).

The acquisition gives Morgan a chance to make the roster. The Steelers have two quarterbacks already on the team in Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. Morgan is anticipated to participate in rookie minicamp and will join the 90-man roster.

Beechwood promotes Hart to basketball head coach

When the search concluded, the Beechwood Tigers administration decided the best person to take over the boys basketball team was already on the staff.

The administration promoted Ross Hart to the position after he’d been on Erik Goetz’s staff the last five years as the associate head coach and junior varsity head coach. He takes over for Goetz, who retired from coaching after the season as the program’s all-time-winningest coach after 10 seasons and 160 victories. Hart has coached all 16 seasons in the rugged 35th District, first at Beechwood and then at Holmes.

Beechwood Principal Justin Kaiser, who led the monthlong search, said Hart’s vision is both ambitious and attainable. Kaiser said Hart wants the program to benefit from a feeder system that goes down to the elementary level and helps the middle school programs attain consistency and an identity.

Hart graduated from Beechwood in 2002 after scoring more than 1,000 points. He joined Rick Shumate’s staff for two years in 2007. The 2008-2009 Tigers squad finished 22-6, beating Covington Catholic in the 35th District semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Holmes in the championship game and Boone County in the 9th Region quarterfinals.

After that season, Hart joined David Henley’s staff at Holmes. He stayed on under Jason Booher and Mike Listerman, helping the Bulldogs to 35th District Tournament championships in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 and the 9th Region championship in 2013.

Hart ultimately returned to his alma mater on Goetz’s staff. The Tigers won the lone All “A” Region championship in program history in 2018.

The 2018-2019 team put together a school record 29-6 campaign that included a 35th District Tournament championship.

Beechwood listed four seniors on last year’s roster, but the returning players do not have to adjust to an unfamiliar coach. Hart said Beechwood has a number of high IQ basketball players, so the plan is to use that to mix things up on both ends.

Holy Cross’ Sorrell steps down to focus on family

Sorrell coached the past two seasons with the Indians, guiding them to a 42-18 record and the All “A” state championship game this past season.

Sorrell cited family health concerns in his decision. His newborn daughter developed a growth in her throat below her vocal cords called a hemangioma, which was affecting her breathing.

Holy Cross posted a 21-8 record in 202223, winning the 9th Region All “A” title for the second straight season, but were upset in the district tournament by Beechwood, putting a surprising end to their season.

Prior to his stint at Holy Cross, Sorrell was an assistant at Covington Catholic under Scott Ruthsatz from 2016-20. In his four seasons on staff, the Colonels won the KHSAA state championship in 2018 and three 9th Region titles.

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