TULSA, Okla. — A group of blind and low-vision athletes wrapped up a special practice Saturday night.
The Lookouts held a practice on Saturday at World Baseball Outreach in preparation for the Sooner State Beep Ball Classic this summer.
Beep Ball is a form of blind baseball. The Lookouts are the only blind Beep Ball team in the state.
Similar tournaments have been held in Tulsa before, however, this tournament will bring players from across the country to compete in the Sooner State Beep Ball Classic.
Team coach and former collegiate all-star athlete, Mark Ivy, will be leading the group to the game this summer. Ivy lost his vision due to retinitis pigmentosa, a chronic hereditary eye disease that causes gradual degeneration of the retina.
One player said that this is his first opportunity to play sports in eight years due to vision loss.
Dillon Tarp, a Kansas native, is new to the game of Beep Ball. As a former high school athlete, Tarp thought he would never play sports again after he lost his sight at 16 after an accidental gun discharge.
Tarp said Saturday’s practice was the first time he’s played a sport since that incident.
Another player, 14-year-old Gabe Weathers of Moore, Oklahoma, was denied the opportunity to play contact sports at school due to him having low vision.
However, Weathers is able to play thanks to The Lookouts.
For more information on The Lookouts, click here.