Beep Baseball 2023 World Series Coming to Norman

It’s called Beep Baseball, and no matter what your thoughts are about regular baseball, this sport is extreme.

“I actually grew up a three-sport athlete, I played basketball, football and baseball growing up,” said Beep Baseball player Christian Thaxton.

But while playing baseball in college, Thaxton began noticing some problems.

“When I was about 19, I started undergoing some vision loss, to the point where I am today, which is legal blindness,” said Thaxton.

Needing an outlet for his competitiveness, he was introduced to Beep Baseball.

“So, it’s a sport that is adapted for people with visual impairments or who are blind,” said Thaxton.

To keep things equal for competitors, all the players are blindfolded, except for the pitcher.

“When the batter hits the ball, one of the bases either first or third starts buzzing, that's the base that the batter will run to,” said Thaxton.  

If the batter gets to the base before the defense gains possession of the beeping ball, it’s a run.

“It’s really action packed and not only a lot of fun to play, but also to watch,” said Thaxton.

Oklahomans will get to watch some of the best in the sport, as about 30 teams from all across the country will take to the fields Gillis-Rother Soccer complex in Norman for the 2023 beep baseball world series.

“We do get some international presence as well, so there’s sometimes a team from the Dominican, Taiwan, even Canada,” said Thaxton.

The tournament is from August first through the fifth and will require about 100 volunteers every day.

“The volunteers are the lifeblood of this event, it wouldn’t be a successful event without them,” said Trent Brown, director of Norman Sports Commission.

Volunteers will get a quick training course before taking the field with the players.

“The volunteers that we are looking for are anyone that is 12 and up, and that are willing to participate, and there are going to be base operators and field operators,” said Brown.

If you would like to volunteer of for other information about the tournament visit www.nbba.org/2023ws