Hitters and fielders will rely on their ears instead of their eyes Monday at Mulcahy Stadium.
The Anchorage Bucs will lace up their cleats, grab their bats and put on their blindfolds for a "beep baseball" game — an adaptive version of regular baseball — against the Seattle Sluggers, a team made up of blind players.
The inaugural Beep Baseball Challenge is organized by the Anchorage Lions Club and the Bucs.
Beep baseball is a version of baseball for the blind, low-vision and legally blind that uses a 16-inch softball that beeps. There are only two bases, first and third, which take turns beeping.
After a player hits the ball, he runs to whichever base is beeping while the blindfolded players in the field try to corral the ball.
If the fielding team stops the ball before the batter reaches the base, it's an out. If a player catches the ball, it retires the side immediately.
If the batter makes it to the buzzing base prior to the fielding team stopping the ball, a run scores.
Games go six innings and can feature coed teams. The pitchers are not blindfolded and play for the team at the plate.
"We've put the blindfolds on and rolled the ball and it's not going to be easy," Bucs general manager Shawn Maltby said.
The Seattle Sluggers, members of the National Beep Baseball Association, travel the country playing beep baseball games.
Gary Lichtenstein, director of baseball operations for the Bucs, said the Sluggers are the definite favorites on Monday.
"The way I see it, we're the handicapped team," he said. "It's a very different game."
Lichtenstein said safety will be the top priority Monday. Teams will have non-blindfolded "spotters" on the field to assist the blindfolded players, per game rules.
"We're looking forward to it, it will be fun, but we want to stress safety," Lichtenstein said. "As you can imagine — our guys, athletic guys with blindfolds on, who have never played it before — we want to make sure no accidents occur."
Maltby said the Anchorage Lions Club hopes to eventually start its own beep baseball team. Some of the donations and $5 tickets sales will go toward developing a team.
The game will be broadcast on the radio on Hot Talk KOAN 95.1 FM and 1080 AM.
Opening pitch is set for 7 p.m.