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.
