WBRC TAKES A SWING AT BEEP BASEBALL

By: Daniel Penrod, WBRC Manual Skills Instructor

A WBRC student gets ready to swing at the beeping

baseball while learning to play the game with the

Stockton Stingray Beep Baseball team

A recent WBRC outing had veterans and staff swinging. They were learning to play the game of Beep Baseball with the Stockton Stingray Beep Baseball team. The team joined the WBRC to demonstrate and teach the game. Beep Baseball uses a standard softball bat, a modified softball with audible signals, and two upright bases with audible signals. All of the players except the pitcher wear blindfolds to occlude their vision and level the playing field. The pitcher announces to the batter when he pitches the ball and also when the ball is passing over the home plate. If the batter makes contact with the ball, one of the 2 audible bases is randomly turned on, and the batter must take off to locate the base. If the batter makes it to the base before the fielders locate the beeping ball they score a point.

After a demonstration game, veterans and staff had an opportunity to put on a blindfold and go up to bat. There were varying levels of success, but everyone was impressed with how far some batters could hit the ball and how quickly the players could field the ball or find the base. As someone who struggled at the plate, I can personally say that it was challenging, exciting, and educational to feel for a brief period what it was like to solely use hearing to locate a pitch, a ball, or a base. I have never felt a thrill from any other sport like that of trying to run without sight towards a base while the opposing team scrambles to find the ball and get you out.

To learn more about Beep Baseball CLICK HERE

or

To read an article or watch a news clip from the Wall Street Journal about Beep Baseball CLICK HERE