Florence Y'alls tap Cincinnati talent pool ahead of home opener

Chase Hopewell, shown playing in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League All-Star Game in 2022, makes his debut with the Florence Y'alls in 2026.

The 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher and Badin High School graduate is making his Florence debut. He had a 4.93 ERA in eight games in relief last season for Joliet in the Frontier League. Previously, he spent one season in single-A with the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

He was one of the University of Cincinnati’s top pitchers in 2023, going 2-6 with a 5.79 ERA. He led the staff in starts (15), innings pitched (65.1) and strikeouts. He started eight games in conference play and had more than 100 career strikeouts.

At Badin, he had an outstanding senior season in 2019, going 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA, helping the Rams to a 27-3 record.

Zade Richardson

The 6-foot-1 right-handed batter is in his third season with Florence. The New Richmond High School graduate was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals after playing at Wabash Valley Community College. He spent two seasons in High-A with Peoria and Rome.

At New Richmond, he had three outstanding seasons, collecting 99 career hits and 90 RBIs, with six home runs and 102 runs scored. In his senior year, he hit. 650 with 13 doubles, and his junior year, he hit .550 with 15 doubles, three home runs and 34 RBIs.

Tyler Shaneyfelt

The 5-foot-7 lefthanded batter and Dayton, Ohio, native is in his second season with Florence. He scored three runs and drove in two over the weekend in Evansville. He hit .301 for the Y’alls in 2025.

Shaneyfelt was a key player for Northern Kentucky University when the team went to the NCAA Tournament in 2024. He was named to the All-Horizon League second team after hitting .352 with 37 RBIs and 53 runs scored.

Campbell Spradling

The 6-foot-3 left-handed pitcher is a Lakota East High School graduate who played college at the University of Charleston. He is a newcomer to Florence. At Charleston, he had 49 appearances with 14 starts, compiling a 7-2 record and 4.52 ERA. In his senior season at Lakota East, he pitched 10 innings, going 1-1.

Evan Webster

The Ryle graduate is entering his third season with the Y’alls after a successful college career at Louisville. He is a 6-foot-3 lefthanded pitcher.

At Louisville, he made 15 starts in his senior season in the Atlantic Coast Conference and was second-team All-ACC his junior season. He had a 14-8 career record with a 4.11 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 179 innings with the Cardinals.

At Ryle, he was second-team all-state as a senior, when he went 5-3 with a 2.45 ERA and a school record 102 strikeouts. He also hit .342 with 32 RBIs, and was an all-region player in bowling.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Florence Y'alls have 7 players with Cincinnati ties on 2026 roster