BOILING SPRINGS, NC – Imagine stepping on a baseball field to play America’s past time having to do everything, including hit and play left field wearing a blindfold.  That is exactly what faculty and staff members at Gardner-Webb University will be doing as they play a game of Beep Baseball with blind and visually impaired students.

Beep Baseball is an alternative form of the game that allows blind and visually impaired students to participate with the use of balls and bases that make a beeping noise.  The game is played nation wide and even has a world championship every year. 

Gardner-Webb has been involved with Beep Baseball for over fifteen-years and has the latest equipment that includes balls that beep and two beeping bases with a switch operated by a base controller.  Sighted people playing the game are blindfolded and have to rely on other senses to get a hit.

Parrish Calloway, disability specialist for the Gardner-Webb Noel Program (assistance for students with disabilities) explains a little bit about how the game works.  “Once the ball is hit, the base controller chooses which base to turn on.  When the batter realizes which base is beeping (game uses only 1st and 3rd bases), he or she runs towards that base.  The fielders are all blindfolded and are trying to find the ball.  If a fielder finds the ball first then the batter is out, but if the batter arrives at the beeping base first, they score a run,” said Calloway.  There are spotters on the field that help to guide players and prevent participates from running into one another.

Dr. Glenn Bottoms, professor of economics and management information systems for Gardner-Webb’s School of Business will be one of many faculty members participating in the event.  “By being blind folded, it puts you on the same page as our visual impaired students and you learn what they go through and how listening becomes so important in being able to find your way around,” said Bottoms.  Bottoms adds, “It’s about having fun and I like to tease the students.”

The public is invited to come and cheer for the teams as the game takes place Friday, April 13, 3:30 until 4:30 pm at the Gardner-Webb University Softball Field. For more information contact the Noel Program at 704-406-4270.