Beep Baseball Teams Play for the 'Love of the Game'

Monday, July 23, 2012

Ames and Iowa State University will host 16 beep baseball teams from across the United States and one team from Taiwan during the 2012 National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) World Series, July 22-28, 2012.

Teams will compete in round-robin pairings on Tuesday, July 24, with double-elimination tournaments beginning on Wednesday, July 25. The public is invited to attend all the World Series games at the Southeast Recreation Field Complex, across from Jack Trice Stadium. Admission is free. Find a complete schedule of game times and other events at www.amesbeepbaseball.com.

“Playing beep baseball means different things to different people,” said Dan Greene, NBBA President. “For some, it’s about the awards and recognition, for others, it’s about the competition. For some, it’s proof they can do what once seemed impossible. In the end, for all of us, it will always be for the love of the game.”

Beep baseball is an adaptive version of baseball that was developed for blind and visually impaired athletes. The game is modified with specialized baseballs that emit a rapid beeping sound so the players can hear them. Blindfolded players must rely on the sound to field the ball, while batters run to large padded bases that send out a unique buzzing noise. The batter’s goal is to reach the base before an outfielder retrieves the ball. If the batter is successful, the offensive team scores a run. If not, the batter is considered out. The game is played with three outs per inning for six innings.

The National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) was officially formed in 1975. The NBBA World Series is the highlight of the beep baseball season and has been played annually since 1976. The 2012 World Series will be the first time this premier event has been hosted in Iowa.

2012 NBBA World Series participating teams include:

1. Austin Blackhawks (Austin, TX)


2. Bayou City Heat (Houston, TX)


3. Boston Renegades (Boston, MA)


4. Chicago Comets (Chicago, IL)


5. Cleveland Scrappers (Cleveland, OH)


6. Colorado Storm (Boulder, CO)


7. Indy Thunder (Indianapolis, IN)


8. Iowa Reapers (Des Moines, IA)


9. Lone Star Roadrunners (Dallas/Fort Worth, TX)


10. Long Island Bombers (Long Island, NY)


11. Minnesota Millers (Rochester, MN)


12. New Jersey Lightning (Matawan, NJ)


13. RHI X-Treme (Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana)


14. Southwest Slammers (Tucson, AZ)


15. Taiwan Homerun (Taipei, Taiwan)


16. Tyler Tigers (Tyler, TX)


17. Wichita Sonics (Wichita, KS)

For more information, visit www.amesbeepbaseball.com, www.nbba.org, or the 2012 World Series Facebook page at facebook.com/amesbeepbaseball.

The 2012 NBBA World Series is being presented by the Iowa Lions Foundation. Other 2012 World Series sponsors include the Ames and Des Moines Sam’s Clubs, the Gateway Hotel & Conference Center, the Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau, Adaptive Sports Iowa, Iowa State University, Mary Greeley Medical Center, the Rotary Club of Ames, Hy-Vee, UPS , Boyer Petroleum Company, Trophies Plus and Vision Helpers.

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