Coach Bob Paradise (left) and his son, Robert (right), are the founders of the Portage South baseball team.

    In 1995, a high school graduate with aspirations of trying out for his college baseball team had little opportunity to improve his skills playing on a local NEO Class A team.  The teams that existed had very few openings and those athletes lucky enough to get on a roster found it difficult getting adequate playing time.  In 1997, Bob Paradise, his son Robert, and Marc Korogi attempted to correct this situation by creating the Portage South baseball team.  This team was made up of local players from southern Portage County.
    1997 -- Portage South started slow in its inaugural season, but came on strong near the end with victories over state runner-up Kent VFW and regular season league champion Wadsworth.  They finished the season with an 11-15-3 record. 
    1998 -- Portage South won 19 games and made their first Final Four appearance.  They finished 19-14 and won their first Buckeye Division title.
    1999 -- Portage South was again able to win the Buckeye Division by one point over Alliance, but only went 17-15-3.  They made it to the Regional final, losing to Manchester.
    2000 -- Rain played a big factor in the number of games Portage South was able to play in 2000.  Despite this PS managed to win 19 games for their new head coach.  Final record:  19-8.
    2001 -- Portage South won the Buckeye Division for the third time with a 15-9 regular season record.  They went 2-2 in the AABC tournament.  PS finished the season with a 17-13 record.
    2002 -- Portage South finished second in the Buckeye Division and fifth overall.  They advanced to the Final Four for the third time in their six year history.  PS finished with a 16-15 record.
    2003 -- Portage South finished fifth in the overall standings for the second straight year.  PS had 5 All-Star, including two starters.  PS finished the season at 15-10.  This was their sixth straight season with a winning record.
    2004 -- The 2004 Portage South season definitely had its bright spot with the team finishing second in the overall standings and 43rd in the state rankings.  Final record:  16-11-1.
   2005 -- PS had their best season in their 9-year history.  They finished the regular season with 21 wins and won the league tournament.  PS also made the NABF tournament.  They finished the season with a 25-12-1 record.
    2006 -- Portage South's 10th season was very sucessful.  They finished the regular season with the 2nd best record and made it to the championship game of the league tournament.  PS also won a bid the AABC tournament and won 3 of 4 games in Warren to advance to the Regional in Cincinnati.  They finished the season with a 28-11-1 record.