News : Blind athletes invited to beep baseball event in Omaha

Blind athletes will get their turn at bat at a beep baseball training event planned for May 22 at Freedom Park in Omaha.

Beep baseball is a form of baseball with rules adapted for blind players. The Wichita Sonics are a second-year team competing in the National Beep Baseball Association.

In May 2009 the Sonics travelled to Omaha for batting instructions from coach Mark Wetzel, a visually-impaired batting coach from Omaha who has students from little league all the way to the majors.

Now the Sonics are returning in hopes of teaching beepball to a new generation of blind players, according to Wichita coach Kevin Burton.

“We’re hoping blind athletes from Iowa and Nebraska will come in and check out our sport,” Burton said. “Beep baseball is great as an athletic outlet, but the benefits go far beyond that.”

There is room for sighted players too. Sighted positions within beep baseball include pitcher, catcher and spotter. A spotter is a sighted player who is allowed to give defenders one clue as to where the ball is. Beep baseball is played by both men and women.

The beep baseball training event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on May 22 at Freedom Park, 2497 Freedom Park Road in Omaha. At noon the Wichita players will run through a demonstration of the game. Then they will break into small groups to teach batting, fielding, pitching and spotting to new players. Youths aged 10 and up and adults are invited to participate.

“One thing I have heard a lot from players around the country is ‘I wish I had known about the game sooner,’” said Burton, a 16-year veteran who is now a player-coach. “We want to get the word out so blind athletes know about this opportunity.”

The Wichita Beep baseball Association, which fields the Sonics in the NBBA, has as part of its mission, career development for the blind. Burton sees beep baseball as a very fun means to that end.

“The things we ask of our players are the same things employers ask,” Burton said. “We ask them to be on time, pay attention and play hard when it’s time to play. Change play to work and that’s exactly what employers ask.”

Burton works as the recruiter for Wichita-based Envision, the Midwest’s largest employer of workers who are legally blind.

Those wishing to try out the game should come dressed in athletic gear. Please note metal spikes are not permitted in beep baseball. Cleats must be plastic.

For more information about beep baseball or the May 22 event, call Burton at (316) 267-2324.