Like many blind people, Kae Rausch went through school without playing any sports and feeling like a gym class klutz. “Not only was I the last player chosen, but teams would fight over who had to take me,” says Rausch, who lives in Revere, Massachusetts. “I didn’t think I could ever compete, so I just gave up.”
Rausch had to be talked into trying beep baseball — which she’d watched a friend play many times. “It was funny, but it didn’t take much for me to realize I could do this,” says Rausch, who, from 2004 through 2007, was the Boston Renegades lone female player.
In this interview, Rasuch, who works for the US Department of Labor, discusses the value of teamwork and what beep baseball has meant to her.
Beep Baseball Helped Rausch Access Her Inner Warrior
Q. What was beep baseball’s biggest challenge for you?
K.R. Initially, I was tentative because I have partial sight and had to get used to wearing a blindfold. I do rely on my hearing more than people with normal vision, but it took me time to adjust.
Q. Was it tough being the Renegade’s only female player?
K.R. No, they were extremely supportive — when I screwed up, I took it pretty bad, but they were just so supportive.
Q. Were you a good hitter?
K.R. I could smack the hell out of the ball — just like the guys. When I was announced in my last World Series at-bat, the pitcher called, “Female, right-handed batter.” The right fielder muttered, “Oh, a woman,” and took a few steps in. One of his coaches, a woman, hollered, “You better back up; she’s gonna knock it right over your head.”
Communication is Key to Beep Baseball Defense
Q. What’s the key to playing defense?
K.R. Teammates have to talk and tell each other where they are at all times. If a ball comes near and you’re going to be involved in the play in any way, you have to call out, “Moving,” every second or so to prevent collisions.
Q. Did you have any memorable collisions?
K.R. I was in shallow left; my teammate JJ was playing up the middle, close in. A ball came up the third base line. I ran in at it; JJ ran across at it. Neither of us “had” it, so we don’t stop running till one of us has it. We hit the ground at the same time. JJ ended up with the ball and I ended up with my arms around JJ.
Q. What’s your favorite beep baseball memory?
K.R. Beating the Long Island Bombers for the first time in a World Series consolation game. That game, that first victory was like winning the World Series. Everybody went ballistic. There’s the Red Sox and the Yankees and then there’s the Renegades and the Bombers. We cleaned their clock. For our postseason party, I had T-shirts made that had our logo and the words, “We Beeped the Curse!” Every coach and player wanted one.
Q. What is beep baseball’s greatest benefit for the blind?
K.R. I think it’s how the trust one develops as part of a team makes you more confident to interact with others and to cultivate resources out in the world. A lot of people don’t realize that their strongest resources are the human ones.
For decades, Kae Rausch felt she had little to offer competitive sports, and vice versa. But in beep baseball, Rausch discovered a sport whose social and supportive nature got her in the game.
Andrew Leibs - Andrew Leibs is Suite101’s Feature Writer for Accessible Recreation. He is a longtime chronicler of the disability movement with ...
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