LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — When Casey Krouse started losing his sight in grade school, he thought his baseball career was over. This weekend, he hit a home run — blindfolded — off a pitch from his dad.
“It’s cool,” Krouse said. “All those years of playing sighted baseball before I couldn't play anymore, I almost hit like 10 off the fence and never got one over. So to finally hit a home run blindfolded is cool.”
Krouse was one athlete competing in the second annual Las Vegas Beep Baseball Tournament, hosted by Mindseye and the SoCal Beep Baseball Association. The sport, designed for blind and visually impaired athletes, uses a buzzing ball and beeping bases. Players wear blindfolds to create an even playing field, while sighted pitchers and spotters assist.
WATCH | Taylor Rocha shows how beep baseball is giving athletes far more than just a chance to compete:
Krouse’s father, Patrick, serves as his team’s pitcher.
“It’s always good when you see your kids succeed,” Patrick said. “Really happy that my son and my wife are here to watch it.”
Krouse says it took time to come to terms with his vision loss. “Anyone that would call me blind, I had a problem with it,” he said. “My mom tried to send me to blind camp…they tried to make me use a cane, so I purposely broke it on a tree.”
Beep baseball helped him accept his blindness and find confidence both on and off the field. “I finally actually started using a cane last year,” he said. “I coach a lot of blind youth sports and stuff like that…so really more of an accepting blind person."
Patrick credits the sport with giving his son — and others — an outlet.
“There’s such a great community of athletes looking for an opportunity and a chance,” he said. “It’s given him an outlet…and I’m just excited to be along for the ride.”
Each beep baseball costs more than $30, and the nonprofit depends on donations to fund equipment, training, and events. To support beep baseball programs, visit nbba.org/donate.
Krouse, a Drexel University graduate, now teaches students with disabilities and hopes to inspire others — both in the classroom and on the field.
