Good Sports: Beep Baseball

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A beeping ball and bases, an adaptation of our national pastime.

"It's kind of like baseball but it's not, because you have the beeping bases and the beeping ball," says beep baseball player Gloria Martinez.

"We have a pitcher, catcher and field spotters that are sighted to keep everything running smoothly," added Jennifer Gass of the Stockton Stingrays beep baseball team.

A general beep baseball game features 6 position players with spotters helping the visually impaired players locate the ball.

"Some amazing kids that have learned awesome skills how to locate things," said Kristi Spaite of Blind Babies Foundation. "How to run, how to use amazing mobility skills and how to bat using their other senses."

A game played with limited or no sense of sight, it can be a struggle for those new to the game.

"I'm fully sighted and so I am used to running fast and when you first put those blindfolds on you think you are going to run fast," said volunteer coach Matt Beckwith. "But you don't because it's very scary."

"It's a challenge to run full speed to a buzzing base not knowing if there is a hole or a pole in front of you. But, it comes easier and we take our hats off to people who take a swing at it," said Gass.

That's the essence of the sport. Bringing people together, breaking down barriers, making the game of baseball accessible to anyone.

"I think beep baseball is the best blind sport because you are out in the community, you are interacting with sighted and blind folks. You get to run, you get to hit the ground hard, this one just has the real feel of America's team sport," said Gass.

For more on Beep Baseball http://www.nbba.org/index.htm

For more on the Stockton Stingrays https://www.facebook.com/blindbaseball/