It’s hard to imagine there could have been a worse weekend for Northern Kentucky’s two pro sports franchises.
It’s impossible to do so, actually, because there’s no way the Kentucky Barrels and the Florence Y’alls could have had a weekend worse than their combined 0-4 road record as they both head back home this week.
The Barrels, now in third place in Arena Football One after a 55-37 loss at the unbeaten defending champion Albany Firebirds, will host the Beaumont (Tex.) Renegades Sunday in Truist Arena, where they opened 3-0, at 3 p.m.
For the Florence Y’alls, they’ll be back at it Tuesday at Thomas More Stadium for their home opener in the 2026 Frontier League season after dropping three to the Evansville Otters. And doing so in the most difficult ways you can do that – getting no-hit in the season opener and then suffering a pair of walk-off losses in the next two games.
0-3 opening weekend start for Y’alls
Let’s start with the Y’alls, who will get the first chance this week to make things a bit better for themselves Tuesday in Florence against the Mississippi Mud Monsters in a 6:52 first pitch outing that begins a six-game homestand.
Tough way to start both the season, and for first-year manager Toby Hall, a veteran of nine years as a major league catcher, his Y’alls’ career. Even tougher for the Y’alls as they suffered a combined no-hitter from three Evansville pitchers in Thursday’s loss at historic Bosse Field and then lost back-to-back walk-off heartbreakers in a 7-6 loss Friday in extra innings followed by a 10-9 loss in the ninth Saturday in a game they led by six runs.
After the two days off, the Y’alls will have 2025 All-Star Jonaiker Villalobos on the mound as they attempt to get their winning game going in front of the home folks.
In his fourth season with the Y’alls, Californian Hank Zeisler is leading the way at the plate with a.462 batting average for a Y’alls’ team that’s hitting just .230 for the first three games.
Firebirds with way too much firepower for Barrels
The first play in the second half ended the Barrels’ bid to knock off the defending champion Firebirds and stop their 16-game win streak. But the Barrels had an earlier opportunity, down 24-14 after a scoreless first quarter, when they got the ball back on an onside kick but couldn’t score late in the first half.
Then Albany’s second half kickoff hit the crossbar and bounced all the way back into the hands of an Albany cover man who ran it in for a score. On the next play on the Firebirds’ kickoff, Albany kicked a deuce through the uprights for two more points.
With just 36 seconds gone in the second half, the Barrels trailed 33-14 and were not getting back in this one against the league’s best team benefiting from the return for this game from the league’s best player, quarterback Sam Castronova, after a month with the Houston Gamblers in the United Football League.
All Castronova, last season’s Arena Football One MVP, did was produce six touchdowns – three passing on 15 of 26 completions and three rushing on six carries for 32 yards – as the Firebirds led from start to finish in a 55-37 win against a Barrels’ team that turned the ball over three times on interceptions of Shea Spencer passes.
The game was a homecoming for top Barrels’ players Darius Prince and Zeke Rose, both former Firebirds’ stars. Prince did manage to score a pair of TDs while catching 13 passes for 105 yards on his 17 targets but the rest of the Barrels’ offense didn’t really challenge in this game.
“We did want to make a statement,” Albany coach Damon Ware said on a night when they unfurled the 2025 championship banner at Albany’s MVP Arena in front of 3,280 fans. “We feel we’re the best team in the country, and so we’re going to give everything we’ve got.”
The Barrels will get a return match with Albany June 27 in Truist Arena.
Florence Y’alls Roster
Name Ht Wt T Hometown Age ‘25 Team(s) Status Last School
PITCHERS (14)
Zac Westcott 6-1 175 R/R Weston, FL 33 Florence Veteran Nova Southeastern
Isaac Milburn 6-0 190 L/L Lexington, KY 24 Windy City Pro-1 Purdue
Edgar Martinez 6-1 198 R/R Bajos De Haina, 28 Florence Exp-2 International
Chase Hopewell 6-4 200 R/R Cincinnati 23 Joliet Pro-1 Cincinnati
Bradley Wilson 6-4 212 R/R Raleigh, NC 25 Florence Pro-1 App State
Evan Webster 6-3 230 R/L Cincinnati 24 Florence Pro-1 Louisville
Max Whitesell 6-3 235 R/R Dayton, OH 22 Florence Pro-1 Wright St.
Jonaiker Villalobos 6-1 230 L/L Maracaibo, VZ 26 Florence Exp-1 International
Eddie Kaftan 6-0 195 R/R Old Lyme, CT 25 Joliet 0 Pro-1 Mitchell
Blake Donnan 6-6 235 R/R Taylorville, IL 24 Frederick Pro-1 Bellarmine
Liam Alpern 6-2 210 L/L Indio, CA 23 Swarthmore Pro-1 Swarthmore
Ahmad Harajli 6-4 245 R/R Dearborn, MI 24 State College Pro-1 Miami (OH)
Campbell Spradling 6-3 190 L/L Liberty Tnshp, OH Charleston Pro1Charleston
Aidan McEvoy 6-4 205 R/L Downingtown, PA 25 Joliet Pro-1 Georgia St.
CATCHERS (3)
Zade Richardson 6-1 200 R/R N. Richmond, OH 25 Florence Pro-2 Wab. Val CC
Sergio Gutierrez 6-1 195 S/R Ciudad Ojeda, VZ 25 Lexington Pro 2 International
Zach Beadle 5-11 205 R/R Canton, MI 25 Windy City Pro-2 Madonna
INFIELDERS (6)
Tyler Shaneyfelt 5-7 150 L/R Dayton, OH 24 Florence Pro-1 Northern Kentucky
Brett Blomquist 6-1 170 R/R Atlanta, GA 23 No. Greenville Pro-1 No. Greenville
Dillon Baker 6-0 190 R/R Tampa, FL 24 Florence Pro-1 Miami (OH)
Hank Zeisler 5-10 195 L/R Kentfield, CA 26 Florence Exp-1 Missouri
Keenan Taylor 5-10 205 R/R Columbus, IN 24) Evansville Pro-2 Purdue
Garrett Broussard 6-2 205 R/R San J. Cap., CA 25 Windy City Pro-2 Utah Valley
OUTFIELDERS (3)
Brendan Bobo 6-2 214 L/R Santa Cruz, CA 23 Florence Pro-1 Loyola Marymt
Marcus Brodil 6-0 203 L/L Clearwater, FL 23 Williamsport Pro-1 USF
Jackson Tucker 6-0 190 R/R Staten Island 22 Trenton Pro-1 St. John’s
Contact Dan Weber at dweber3440@aol.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @dweber3440.