Beepball in a nutshell:

Spectators who witness today’s style of beep baseball are generally delighted. They see blind athletes dive onto the ground to stop a beeping ball and run full speed toward the sound of a buzzing base to score a run. They see desire, determination, teamwork and in many cases skilled performances of sightless players having fun in the midst of extreme competition.

A contest lasts for six (6) innings unless more are needed to break a tie. A team has three (3) outs per inning. However, there are some differences from regular baseball. There is no second base. First and third bases, four foot padded cylinders with speakers, are placed one-hundred (100) feet down their respective lines and ten (10) feet off the foul line. This is to prevent a runner from colliding with a defensive fielder. The bases contain sounding units that give off a buzzing sound when activated. The batter does not know which one will be turned on. When the ball is hit, the base operator activates one of the bases. The runner must identify the correct buzzing base and run to it before the ball is fielded by a defensive player. If the runner is safe, a run is scored. A batter is allowed four (4) rather than the traditional three (3) strikes and only one (1) pass ball.

To better understand how the game is played, keep in mind that each team has its own sighted pitcher and catcher. The pitcher attempts to place the ball on the hitter’s bat — the ball is pitched from a distance of twenty (20) feet.

Playing defense is the most challenging aspect of beep ball. Rather than nine (9) men on the field at a time, there are only six (6) players in beep baseball. Not all teams use the same defensive placement of their players. Each team uses the same numbering system to identify defensive positions which are the numbers one thru seven. Also, there are one or two sighted spotters positioned in the outfield, one on either side of the field. When a ball is hit, a spotter will instantly call out the number indicating the general direction the ball is traveling. The goal is to field the ball as quickly and safely as possible.

A defensive player does not have to throw the ball to another player to record an out. Outs are earned by fielding the ball before the runner reaches the base. In the umpire’s opinion, the fielder must have the ball in hand and off the ground to constitute possession.