By Stephen Stilt
The Gaetti Sports Academy in Centralia hosted a practice session on Saturday for the Gateway Archers, a team comprised of visually impaired baseball players. The practice included both batting and fielding drills. Players use baseballs that emit a frequent beeping noise so they know where to swing while batting or where to reach while fielding.
The team is managed by the Belleville-based organization Mind’s Eye, which has worked for more than 50 years to translate print material into audio and to provide opportunities for the blind or those with visual impairments. Mind’s Eye CEO and president Jason Frazier says he heard about the Gaetti Sports Academy from a member of the Salem Lions Club. Frazier then reached out to Jack Harting at the sports academy about holding practice there.
Mike Curtis, director of special operations at Mind’s Eye, says the organization looks forward to hosting the National Beep Baseball Association World Series when it comes to the St. Louis area in 2024 and 2025.
“Last year was Norman, Oklahoma. The year before that, Beaumont, Texas. In 2024 it will be in St. Charles, Missouri, hosted by our organization, Mind’s Eye, as well as Lighthouse for the Blind St. Louis. And then in 2025, same location, too, so we actually got it two years in a row, which was a cool thing when we got the bid.”
Saturday’s practice involved around 10 players and a half-dozen coaches.
