Tony Dress is the Founder and President of Northern Light Sports and Co-Founder of World Stage Travels, organizations dedicated to creating unforgettable international sports, educational, and cultural experiences. With more than 30 years of coaching, leadership, and sports tourism experience, Tony has built a career around developing athletes, connecting cultures, and creating opportunities that extend far beyond the playing field.

A highly respected collegiate baseball coach, Tony currently serves as the Associate Head Baseball Coach at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California. Throughout his coaching career, he has held head coaching positions at San Francisco State University, Los Medanos College, and Acalanes High School, helping hundreds of student-athletes advance to four-year universities and professional baseball. His commitment to player development, leadership, and mentorship has earned him the respect of athletes, coaches, and colleagues across the baseball community.

Tony's passion for international sports began as a professional baseball player and later through his work as an international baseball ambassador, experiences that inspired his vision of using athletics to connect people from different cultures. In 2010, he founded Northern Light Sports with the belief that international travel could become one of the most powerful educational experiences available to young athletes.

Since then, Tony has organized and led tours throughout Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, creating world-class experiences that combine elite competition with cultural immersion. Under his leadership, Northern Light Sports has expanded beyond baseball and softball to include basketball, soccer, volleyball, performing arts, educational travel, culinary experiences, and custom group tours. His organizations partner with clubs, schools, tourism boards, and international sports federations to provide professionally managed programs that leave lasting impressions on every traveler.

Known for his attention to detail and commitment to excellence, Tony believes that the greatest lessons learned through sports happen away from the scoreboard. Every itinerary is intentionally designed to inspire leadership, resilience, teamwork, and a greater appreciation for the world and its diverse cultures.

Today, Tony continues to lead Northern Light Sports with a simple mission: to connect cultures through sport, inspire the next generation of leaders, and create experiences that families will remember for a lifetime.

"Play with passion. Travel with purpose. Create memories that last forever."

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Chris Cota
Southern California Baseball Representative | Northern Light Sports

Chris Cota brings professional playing experience, more than three decades of college coaching, and an international baseball background to Northern Light Sports. Head baseball coach at College of the Canyons since 2001, Chris played outfield for the Cougars under legendary coach Mike Gillespie, helping win the 1986 state championship. Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the third round in 1986, he played professionally in the White Sox and California Angels organizations before returning to Canyons, where he spent 10 years as an assistant under Len Mohney before becoming head coach.

Chris has led Canyons to five Western State Conference championships, earning Coach of the Year honors each time, and became the Ridgefield Raptors’ inaugural head coach in the West Coast League. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Northridge and a master’s degree from Azusa Pacific University.

His international experience includes baseball trips to Japan, the Dominican Republic, and China, along with coaching in South Korea. As Northern Light Sports’ Southern California Baseball Representative, Chris helps connect players, families, and coaches with opportunities to grow through competition, cultural exchange, and friendships across borders.

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