Thursday, March 22, 2018

Brandeis Drops First Game of 2018 Season against Tough Competition


An alumnus of Columbus Academy, Darren Bates played for the school's varsity baseball and football teams and served as a volunteer coach with Columbus' Second and Seven Foundation. In his senior year of high school in 2017, Darren Bates committed to playing baseball for Brandeis University.

The 2018 collegiate baseball season began in March, and the Brandeis Judges played its season-opening game against the third-ranked UMass Boston. Despite receiving quality pitching from senior Sean O'Neill and sophomore Greg Tobin, the Judges lost 4-1. UMass opened the scoring with three first-inning runs. O'Neill struck out UMass' leadoff hitter, but Chris Fowler took advantage of back-to-back errors with a two-run double. Fowler later scored on a single by Nick Herzog to make it a 3-0 game after the first inning.

The Judges lone run came on a double from freshman Dan Frey that scored Isaac Fossas from second base. Frey had another impressive outing in Brandeis' second game of the season with a double and a triple, but the Judges fell short once again with a 7-4 loss to Salem State.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

A Successful 2016 Old World Baseball Trip for US Team


Darren Bates is a former Columbus Academy football and baseball player who recently began pursuing an undergraduate education at Brandeis University. He has opted to continue his baseball career at the university. As a Columbus Academy student, Darren Bates devoted two summers to Old World Baseball (OWB), a travel team that offers players the opportunity to visit Europe and take part in baseball games while experiencing cultural opportunities. 

Stephan Rapaglia and Tom Gillespie, who have extensive baseball coaching experience in Europe, founded OWB. They have played or coached in settings such as the vicinity of Edinburgh Castle, that of Windsor Castle, and the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona. Moreover, their coaching/playing experience extends to Hamburg, Prague, Stockholm, Paris, and Amsterdam. 

In 2016, the sixth annual OWB trip, which Bates participated in, brought together 21 baseball players from the United States. The US team devoted 12 days to traveling and competing with the 18U National Teams of Germany, Holland, and France. Achieving a 6-4 record, the team embraced a continental experience that included boat and cycling tours, as well as considerable walking. 

Bates also contributed to a successful 2017 OWB effort that generated a 7-2 record against teams in Germany, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

The Playing and Coaching Career of Old World Baseball's Tom Gillespie


A former varsity football and baseball player with Columbus Academy, Darren Bates is a committed student athlete who recently enrolled at Brandeis University, where he plans to play for the school's baseball team. In his final two years at Columbus Academy, Darren Bates was selected to play for Old World Baseball, a competitive European travel team. 

Since 2011, Old World Baseball has provided life-changing experiences in conjunction with high-level baseball instruction as part of its high school trips for young baseball players. The organization was founded by Stephan Rapaglia and Tom Gillespie, both of whom have extensive playing and coaching experience in Europe. 

A native of Iowa, Gillespie played college baseball at Macalester College and, upon graduation, moved to Europe to continue playing the game. In 2002, Gillespie played for the Bracknell Blazers of the Great Britain National League, where he recorded 17 hits in 42 plate appearances and scored 17 runs. From 2004 to 2007, he played for the Tuebingen Hawks of the German Bundesliga 1. He wrapped up his playing career in 2008 with Stockholm BSK. 

Gillespie subsequently served as a director and coach with Great Britain Baseball and then began working as an international scout for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball in the U.S. In 2012, he was hired as an international scout by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's also the current head coach of Germany's under-18 national team.