Behind The Bat: An Interview with Assaf Lowengart

Unlike so many other athletes, Assaf Lowengert’s introduction to the sport he now plays could not have been worse. At the age of six, he was forced to leave a game in tears and at 11, he was rejected from his first trial at a team. This is his story, one which speaks to a triumph of persistence. 

Growing up in the small moshav of Timorim, Assaf grew up playing a few different sports such as basketball and football. At the age of six, he and his family spent some time in Wisconsin, due to his father taking a sabbatical year in the USA. As fans of the Green Bay Packers, he said that his father “wanted us to get the American experience”, and decided to take them to watch a baseball game. Whilst they were at the game, Assaf unfortunately had beer thrown on him by another spectator, and so had to leave the game crying. 

Undeterred by this original experience, Assaf said that he told his parents that he wanted to start playing baseball at the age of 11, eventually finding a team on a nearby kibbutz set up by American immigrants that had made aliyah in the 1970s. Shortly after trialling for the team, he was then encouraged to try out for the Israeli national team, where his father was told “don’t bring him back”. Once again, undeterred, he transferred to a different team in Tel Aviv, making the national team in his second season, which he has done ever since- “a big accomplishment after being told not to come back”. 

When Assaf was drafted for his national service, he was drafted as a special athlete, which gave him permission to balance his training alongside his military service. This meant that he would fly to Europe to compete in baseball tournaments in places like the Czech Republic and Germany during his national service. In 2019, after moving to the United States, Assaf played in the Olympic qualifiers for the 2020 Olympics, where he said that the Israeli team “got through everything and qualified”. Interestingly, although Assaf has built a career in playing baseball, he said that to this day, “I don’t think I’m a big baseball fan. I watch the game so I can get better”, and he still prefers playing the game to watching it on TV.

Over the course of his career, Assaf said that people have become more aware of baseball within Israel, with an improvement in the quality of players, and the general organisation of baseball in Israel. He said that Israel’s current team now has a strong selection of young players who have become part of the team. 

In 2021, Assaf represented Israel in both the European Baseball Championships and the Olympics, where he won a silver medal in the former. When describing his experience at the Olympics, Assaf said that it “was one of the weirdest experiences I’ve ever had”, as the games were held in empty stadiums without fans in attendance. During this “very unique” experience at the Olympics, he even faced off against an MLB All-Star, although Israel were eliminated following a game against the Dominican Republic. 

In February, he signed for the New York Boulders, an MLB-affiliated team. This was achieved after the Israeli team spent five days training in New York, where there was a good connection between the administrations of the two teams. After seeing his individual statistics, the Boulders decided to sign Assaf, making him the first Israeli to sign a professional baseball contract, an experience he described as “awesome”. 

“Hard work pays off. I’m not done yet and want to continue improving”, Assaf said. 

When asked about his status as an Israeli athlete, Assaf said that before each international tournament, both he and his fellow teammates are briefed by the Shin Bet security services, advising them not to be seen wearing their teamwear unless they are competing, and to have a security guard travelling with them at all times. Assaf said “I’ve always had the extra chip on my shoulder, especially now with what’s going on in Israel”. 

“You’re always aware of who you are and what you represent. I’ve always been aware of that. I know who I am and what I represent at all times, I am Israel”. 

Although baseball will not feature at this year’s Olympics in Paris, it will be at the 2028 games in Los Angeles, which Assaf is looking forward to- “I just want to play baseball at the Olympics again”. Until then, Assaf said that he is looking forward to representing Israel in other upcoming events, such as the European championships coming up in 2025, alongside other Olympic qualifiers for Israel.