The National Beep Baseball Association 2012 World Series will be played in Ames. Seann DeMaris of the Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau, says Iowa State will host the series July 22 through the 28.

DeMaris says Beep baseball is an adaptive version of the game for the blind and the visually impaired where the baseball beeps and the bases buzz. He says 16 teams are expected to be involved in the series. He says as a result of this they are starting an Iowa team and hope to have it ready to play next year. The teams that will participate in the series include Taiwan.

DeMaris says the Beep World Series doesn’t play on a regular baseball diamond. DeMaris says they actually play on a soccer field to avoid any obstructions, and they will play on the soccer complex east of Jack Trice Stadium. Other adaptations for the game have all the players blindfolded because there are different levels of blindness. There will also be some things for the crowd to get used to.

DeMaris says fans traditionally cheer when a player hits a ball, but in this game they ask that fans be quiet until the play is over so the players can hear the beeping baseball and the buzzing bases. The Iowa Lions Foundation is the sponsor for the series.

DeMaris says they will be looking for volunteers to help with the tournament, and you can find out more at:www.amesbeepbaseball.com.

Martensdale-St. Marys put their 84-game win streak on the line today in the opening round of the Class 1A state baseball tournament. The win streak continued with some drama, as David Walker singled in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Martensdale-St. Mary’s a 2-1 win over English Valleys.

Four pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts for Martensdale-St. Marys, with Ethan Westphal getting the win, after going two-thirds of an inning for the Blue Devils.

By Chris Varney, KGRN, Grinnell

The state high school baseball tournament opens in Principal Park in Des Moines with the opening round in class 2A. Top ranked Carroll Kuemper takes a 26 game winning streak into a first round matchup against North Fayette.

Kuemper coach Randy Snyder says they talked about how that doesn’t mean anything now that the tournment is starting. Snyder says with everbody’s ace ready to go the first round is tough to get through. He says that is where the biggest upsets come, in the first round, so they have to be focused.

Snyder says the Knights have a talented and experienced team with six guys who have had a lot of impact during the year. Kuemper is 37-1 while North Fayette takes a 30-14 record into the tournament.

The other first round game this evening will match Gilbert against North Polk. The teams split two regular season matchups.

A big turnaround year for the Montezuma baseball program now includes a conference championship. The Braves wrapped up the South Iowa Cedar League title on Wednesday night with a victory over Keota, their first conference championship in 20 years.

Montezuma coach Tyler Lown says to win 21 games and go from 8th place to first in the conference is about the kids working hard. He says they made a lot of changes in the mental and physical approach, and the players did it for the team and not themselves.

Lown says his team has excelled in a number of phases, and have found a lot of ways to win. He says they sacrifice a lot with bunts and steal bases, and have also hit home runs.

Montezuma closes out the regular season on Friday against North Mahaska and those two teams will meet again next week in a class 1A district tournament opener. He says they will do what they can to get better and keep preparing and hope to be good enough to get better and move on and will not change a whole lot at this point.

Montezuma is ranked seventh in class 1A.

By Chris Varney, KGRN, Grinnell

One Iowa athlete that may look at Independence Day a little differently is Waverly-Shell Rock baseball player Andrew Holden. Andrew’s family is from the Shell Rock area, but Andrew was born in Saudi Arabia while his father was working there for an oil company.

Holden even played for the Saudi Arabian team in the Little League World Series five years ago, which the Go-Hawk senior says was a great experience. He says it’s hard to describe how fun it was.

Holden says that most Americans would probably be surprised by how much baseball is played in Saudi Arabia. He says everyone plays baseball as there aren’t many other sports played. Holden says the Americans there don’t play soccer, just baseball.

Holden says that the biggest difference between playing in Saudi Arabia and playing in the States – besides the temperature – is the level of intensity here. He says it’s a more relaxed atmosphere in Saudi Arabia.

Waverly-Shell Rock coach Casey Klunder says that Holden’s experiences have given him a very strong work ethic and even-keel personality. He says Holden is a hard worker who is constantly trying to improve, and knows from his past experiences what he has to do.

Holden is leading the Go-Hawks with a .500 batting average and 31 RBI this season. He’s also 3-0 on the pitcher’s mound with a sparkling 0.82 ERA.

By Jesse Gavin KCNZ Cedar Falls

There will be a couple of opportunities for baseball fans in the state to catch a baseball game and some fireworks on this Independence Day. The Cedar Rapids Kernels are at home against the Burlington Bees in Midwest League action and general manager Doug Nelson says there will be a full day of activities at Veterans Stadium ending with a fireworks display.

Most minor league baseball teams want to be at home over the holiday and there are some leagues that will guarantee a home game on either July third or the fourth. Nelson says next year the league will have half the teams home on the third and half home on the fourth.

Baseball and the fourth of July mean big crowds as he says the holiday and baseball go hand-in-hand. A Sioux City Explorers home game on the fourth has become a tradition and they will be at home this evening in American Association play against Fargo-Moorhead. The Explorers also had a fireworks display after last night’s game.

Explorer general manager Shane Tritz says the league has always given them a home game on the fourth and the baseball game and fireworks are two of the biggest traditions.

The Waterloo Bucks won’t be hosting a fireworks show but they will be playing a Northwoods League game at home this afternoon against LaCrosse.