By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Rootstown High School graduate (Class of 2003) was announced as part of the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026.

MIKE DARRAH

Darrah was a First Team All-Portage County League standout for the Rovers during his junior and senior seasons, then played in college at West Liberty University, earning All-West Virginia Intercollegiate honors three times.

He played professionally for three years (2007-2009) for the Slipper Rock Sliders, Utica Unicorns and Washington Wild Things, then played for the Portage South Black Squirrels in the Greater Akron AA Amateur League.

Darrah will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony scheduled for Aug. 23.

SOFTBALL ASSISTANT BOB BAUER RESIGNS ALONGSIDE DAUGHTER

Along with Beth Dyer’s resignation as the Field High School softball coach, so comes the news that her top assistant, her father, Bob Bauer, also is stepping away from the program and coaching.

Bauer spent 32 years as an assistant coach at two of the most successful programs in Portage County history.

The first 12 years of his coaching career were spent at Rootstown from 1994-2005 as an assistant for longtime Hall of Fame coach Dave Mullenix.

During that time, Bauer coached all three of his daughters, Beth (Class of 1997), Lindsay (Class of 2001) and Lesa (Class of 2003), who were all successful pitchers.

In his 12 years with the Rovers, Bauer was a key part of 190 wins.

Bauer then spent the last 20 years (2007-2026, with no season in 2020) coaching with Dyer, his daughter, at Field.

In two decades, Bauer was a key part of 388 wins.

In his 32 years of coaching, Bauer was part of two teams that totaled 578 wins and had a win percentage of .715 — and, remarkably, only three losing seasons.

RYAN STREEM MEMORIAL ALUMNI SOCCER

The Rootstown High School boys soccer Ryan Streem Memorial Alumni Game is Saturday at 6 p.m. at Robert C. Dunn Field.

The game acts as one of the primary fundraisers for the scholarships given each year in Streem’s name and remembrance.

All proceeds from the game, including player registration, raffles and donations, go directly toward the Ryan Streem Memorial Scholarship, which has given out more than $50,000 to graduating Rootstown seniors.