By Sarah Hoenig
In 2015, John Stark, coach of the Bryan College Station Outlaws, took his first-year team to the Beep Baseball World Series in Rochester, New York. The Outlaws were matched up against the Athens Timberwolves. Sounds of excitement were in the air. Bases were buzzing and balls were beeping as the team from Texas took the field. Players stood ready to compete with their black blindfold shielding their vision as beads of sweat leaked down from their forehead. Spectators watched as fearless players blindly dove for a beeping ball with their arms stretched wide. The Outlaws beat the Athens Timberwolves 3-2 that day.
“That was a big accomplishment for us because most first-year teams don’t get a World Series win,” says Stark.
Beep Baseball is a sport for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Throughout the year, teams from across the nation participate in two or three tournaments and every summer many teams come together to compete in the Beep Baseball World Series. Funding the tournaments and series is a struggle many teams face.
To qualify to play the game a person has to have a visual impairment or be legally blind, says Hillary Oswald, player for the BCS Outlaws. Visually impaired is defined as having visual acuity of 20/70 or lower, explained Oswald.
“On the field, players are blindfolded so they are all at the same level of visual impairment,” said Oswald.
The beeping ball was first used for children who were visually impaired to use as a toy, says Blake Boudreaux, president of the National Beep Baseball Association.
“The actual sport was created in the late 1970s and the rules were put together to form our league in 1976,” says Boudreaux.
Raising the funds to cover expenses for travel and hotel have been a major hardship for many teams, says Boudreaux. The NBBA has established a fundraising committee to work on getting corporate sponsorships.
“The unemployment rate for people who are blind and visually impaired is about 70 percent so there are a lot of people in our organization who are living on a limited income,” says Jason Price, head umpire of the NBBA. “The average age of a player is in the mid 30s.”
Out of the 30 to 35 teams registered with the NBBA there are usually only 18 to 25 teams that make it to the series on an average year because of travel expenses, says Boudreaux.
“When you’re staying at a hotel for a week, you’re looking at about $800 a hotel and $500 a flight, all of that stuff adds up when you have a traveling party of 10 to 12,” says Stark.
Stark said he has made it a goal to never turn a player away because of their inability to fund a trip.
“Whether that meant me not flying and driving my pickup so we could use that money for someone else’s plane ticket that’s what we did,” says Stark. “The money has always been the hardest thing, but we’ve always found a way.”
Sighted volunteers set the field and serve as umpires or base umpires at the series, says Jared Woodard, second vice president of the NBBA.
“That’s another really unique thing about Beep Baseball because it’s created this cohesion between people who are blind or visually impaired and people who are sighted,” says Woodard.
Many of the players involved may not have had the opportunity to play team sports in high school or college because of their visual impairment, says Boudreaux.
“This sport has given them new life, to be able to go out and compete, hit the ball, run and do things they never thought they would be able to do again,” said Boudreaux. “[It] changes lives.”
The game has been an outlet to develop strength, resilience, and leadership skills, says Justin Romack, player for the BCS Outlaws.
“Being a part of a team is incredibly encouraging because you have a community of people that trust you, that you rely on, and that you build relationships with,” says Romack.
The experience of being on a team has given players skills that are applicable to the professional world, says Romack.
“There aren’t many of those opportunities from an athletic or physical standpoint for people with disabilities,” says Romack.
Beep Baseball has been the only competitive outlet that Richie Flores, player for the San Antonio Jets, has found.
“Beep Baseball has given me the opportunity to excel athletically, lose weight, make lifelong friends, provide me the experience of enjoying victory and learning from losing with class,” says Flores.
The extreme competitiveness is the most remarkable thing about Beep Baseball, says Boudreaux.
“People hear about Beep Baseball and they think it’s just something recreational and it’s so far from that,” says Boudreaux. “Everyone has fun, but the reason everyone gets so much out of it is because it is so competitive.”
The NBBA wants more individuals who are blind or visually impaired to gain this experience, says Boudreaux. There is an outreach committee traveling to different parts of the world and teaching those who are interested in learning to play.
“The head of our outreach committee along with the team from Austin is in Buenos Aries, Argentina, sharing Beep Baseball,” says Boudreaux.
Recent interest has come from Japan, South Korea, parts of Africa, and France; the NBBA is looking to expand to those areas, says Boudreaux.
“It will hopefully allow for a lot more opportunity for the blind worldwide, that’s what I really want to see,” says Boudreaux.
The 2020 World Series will be held in Ames, Iowa, and will be July 26 through Aug. 2, according to the NBBA website.
A female most valuable player will be recognized this year for the first time, says Boudreaux.
“It’s just so important that the female athlete has a place in our sport,” says Boudreaux. “It’s very inclusive and I want it to continue to be that way.”
Riding the momentum of last season, the BCS Outlaws are looking forward to the upcoming series, says Romack, who’s been with the Outlaws since they were established.
“I’ve been able to see this team go from having five or six veterans involved to seeing young kids from around the area take the reins and be successful and that’s super encouraging,” says Romack.
In January, the Outlaws will begin practicing again and refining skills to get ready for this year’s tournaments and series, says Romack.
“We host a tournament on Memorial Day weekend and that’s primarily Texas teams, but we are looking to expand that to maybe an eight-team tournament,” says Romack.
The Outlaws are hopeful about this year’s series because of the strong sense of encouragement they left with last year, says Romack.
“Last year we finished eighth in the world as a team,” says Oswald. “We’ve come a long way; we only had eight players there.”
Lack of players is the biggest challenge the Outlaws face, says Oswald.
“I think this year we have some pretty big gaps to fill but we also have some really young, hungry, and talented players that I think will rise to the challenge,” says Romack.
The determination of these players to step up to the plate is why volunteers are eager to help players achieve their potential, says Price.
“People think that visually impaired people can’t do the same things we do,” says Price. “They do things I could never do or understand. It’s just amazing.”
For many years, Stark said he has witnessed the tremendous impact Beep Baseball has had on players’ lives.
“I truly believe this is a calling,” says Stark. “God put me in the right place at the right time, and I believe we are saving people’s lives. ... How do you not want to stay involved in something like that?”
