Beep Beep

Austin's blind baseball team poised to bring home another World Serieschampionship

Playing baseball with a blindfold on sounds like one of the most difficult tasks any athlete could put themselves up to — even if the pitcher is pitching a beeping softball in your direction at a considerably slower speed than normal baseball. This is the game of Beep Baseball, a sport played by visually impaired baseball players all over the world.

For 25 straight years Austin’s blind baseball team, the Blackhawks, has made it to the Beep Baseball World Series, and this year is no different.

The Blackhawks were founded by Captain Wade Sibson and his brother Kevin, currently the team's pitcher, in 1986. The team was a dynasty throughout the nineties, winning seven straight World Series titles from 1992 to 1998. This year, they're looking to play their way back to another championship and bring the trophy back to Austin.

Beep baseball is not the same as traditional baseball in many ways. A common misconception is that all of the players in the game are blind, but both the pitcher and the catcher can see. And as opposed to normal baseball, the pitcher alerts the batter when he is about to pitch and attempts to throw the ball where the batter has the best opportunity to make contact, rather than trying to get an out.

The name of the game comes from the sound the ball makes. It gives out a high frequency sound so that the players can hone in on its location and make contact or field the hit ball.

A run is scored by reaching the base (a foam pillar that gives out a lower frequency sound), located 100 feet from home plate, before the fielder obtains the ball. Beep Baseball can be incredibly injury prone — it's common to see fielders throwing their bodies in the direction of the hit ball in an attempt to make an out. A more detailed description of the rules and regulations can be found on the National Beep Baseball Association’s website.

With the 2012 World Series well underway (play began Tuesday), the Austin Blackhawks are currently undefeated in the round robin style tournament taking place in Ames, Iowa. They haven't etched out these wins either: The closest of their four victories has been by six runs, when the Blackhawks beat the Minnesota Millers 12 to 6 in the opening match.

The Blackhawks are in prime position to reclaim their former status as the world’s best Beep Baseball team, as they contend in the World Series championship game scheduled for early Saturday.

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You can stay up-to-date with the team's progress by visiting the NBBA World Series website.

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High Score

Austin named the nation's pickleball capital in industry report

Photo by Henry Selis Photo

Other Racquet Social Club is back after city woes.

It's no secret that Austinites love pickleball. A new study proves just how much by ranking Austin the No. 1 city for pickleball in the whole country. Dallas and Houston also made the top 10 at Nos. 3 and 8, respectively.

The report was published by TeachMe.To, an online marketplace for learning sports (and sometimes music) from private instructors. It used data from its own platform, USA Pickleball, Places2Play, local pickleball associations, and more. It also referred to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), which named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America, with a growth rate of 223.5 percent over three years.

Similarly, TeachMe.To ranked Austin as the fastest-growing city for pickleball, and citing this as the main reason for the overall title of "the nation's pickleball capital."

It name-checked the Austin Metro Pickleball Association (AMPA) — with approximately 3,000-3,500 members — and the Austin Pickleball League (APL), estimating that overall, "15,000-20,000 people play pickleball at least occasionally in the greater Austin area." About half of those players — about 8,000-10,000 people — play at least twice a month.

The report did not include gender data on Austin, specifically, but it did note that not only are two-thirds of pickleball players female; women's involvement in the sport is also growing 50 percent faster than men's.

New courts everywhere
This probably isn't a surprise to people who have noticed the number of courts opened around Austin in recent years. By 2024, TeachMe.To's data shows 32 dedicated courts in Austin, and thanks to with a utility rate of 92 percent it doesn't look like that'll be slowing down.

In the summer of 2023, the online booking platform Swimply noticed how many pickleball courts there were in Austin compared to such great demand, and added courts to its service. In fall 2023 and summer 2024, at least two important developments expanded that availability: Other Racquet Social Club opened as a friendly, country club-like neighborhood option, and national chain The Picklr announced it's bringing five locations to Austin and Round Rock.

Perhaps because Austin is such a food-obsessed city, there seems to be some growing opportunity for food and beverage hospitality around pickleball, too. Other Racquet recently started hosting the Bill's Dips food truck, a spinoff of the popular downtown restaurant Bill's Oyster; and a pair of bars with pickleball courts, Drifters Social Coffee & Cocktails and The Pickle Pub, also opened in South Austin this year, with strong online ratings already.

The trend has even reached into real estate (see this cute house with its own pickleball court) and inspired athletes to introduce similar sports to the local market, as in the case of the padel club Paddle39. TeachMe.To's report also mentioned tech companies adding pickleball to their campuses.

Aside from growth, the study also considered lesson activity (including information about teacher availability and diversity of clinic offerings), infrastructure, community vitality, the tournament scene.

Austin had the highest concentration of all the cities of players under 40 (65 percent), as well as the highest share of national lesson bookings. At 16.90 percent, that means about one in six of the pickleball lessons contracted through this platform were in Austin. Lesson demand, the report says, is growing 125 percent year-over-year.

Elsewhere in Texas
Dallas was No. 3 thanks in part to its "central location" according to the report.

"The city's 45 dedicated courts and 85 [percent] public accessibility rate have fostered one of the most active competitive scenes in the country, with 8,500 registered league players," it says. "The combination of strong tournament presence, extensive infrastructure, and a 112% growth in lesson bookings solidifies Dallas as a powerhouse in the national pickleball landscape."

Houston made No. 8 with an emphasis on integrating pickleball with other sports.

"The city's 22 dedicated courts have seen a 92% increase in lesson bookings, driven by innovative programming that includes the nation's first corporate league system," it says. "Houston's success in integrating pickleball into existing sports infrastructure while maintaining 72% year-round utilization demonstrates a sustainable model for rapid growth."

Overall predictions
After laying out data about the top cities in pickleball, the report made some predictions. As the Austin newcomer mentioned above believes, the report also thinks padel is the next big thing. It also guesses more cities will act like Houston by focusing on hybrid facilities.

It also expects to see an expanded professional circuit and mainstream coverage, more technology used on the court, a rise in the prevalence of young players, and more opportunities in corporate wellness and real estate. "Dedicated pickleball facilities will become as common as swimming pools in luxury developments," it says. Texans will be the judge of that one.

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