Blind Student Brings Passion to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Baseball Broadcast
Dallas Cathey, a sophomore at the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, took his first step toward a dream career in sports broadcasting by serving as a guest announcer for the Little Rock Trojans baseball team on May 9.
Cathey, a lifelong baseball enthusiast from Warren, Arkansas, served as the color analyst during the Trojans’ game against the University of Tennessee at Martin at Gary Hogan Field, broadcast live on ESPN+. He joined Max Coltrane, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock student and the Trojans鈥� play-by-play voice, in the booth.
鈥淚t was a lot of fun,鈥� Cathey said. 鈥淲e hung out and talked the game of baseball. It was GREAT.鈥�
Coltrane said he wanted the experience to be fun first and foremost but was impressed by Cathey鈥檚 sharp instincts and knowledge of the game.
鈥淗e did a great job, and I don鈥檛 think quality ever took a backseat on the broadcast,鈥�
Coltrane said. 鈥淲e bounced off each other well. We bounced off each other well, and he picked up the game well listening to the PA announcer to hear each batter introduced and had the stat sheet in front of him. It was super enjoyable, and we were at ease with each other. I think he definitely brought something unique to the broadcast.”
Cathey鈥檚 opportunity came about after Jena McDonnell, his work supervisor at the Arkansas School for the Blind, reached out to the Miracle League of Arkansas about a possible summer internship. Since their season ends in June, they encouraged her to contact the Trojans, and the rest fell into place.
“He’s something special,” she said. “He has college goals and doesn’t want to sit around. He wants to work. He doesn’t want to take it easy. He’s always asking, ‘What are we doing today?’ He’s always attacking the day, which I love. He’s just an All-American kid with a big heart.鈥�
To prepare, Cathey studied team stats and met with Coltrane and Trojans Broadcast Director Hannah Ford the day before the game. On game day, he was introduced to the production team and Head Coach Chris Curry, who shared stories from his own baseball journey.
“I was impressed with Dallas,” Curry said. “You can tell he is a student of the game 鈥� very knowledgeable. It was a real honor that he wanted to call one of our games. We hope to see him back here again.”
Cathey introduced Trojan batters during the broadcast, announcing their hometowns and stats, while Coltrane adjusted his play-by-play style to provide more description to support Cathey鈥檚 experience.
“A couple of times, he knew a ball was fair or foul just by the sound it made coming off the bat,” Coltraine said. “Late in the game, I said there was a full count, and he corrected me and said it was a 2-2 count. He was so sharp in the booth and kept up with everything very well.”
Blind since birth, Cathey experiences baseball through sound: the crack of the bat, the pop of the glove, the cheers of the crowd, and the voice of the announcer. His love for the sport is shared by his family. He plays in the Miracle League of Arkansas in Monticello and enjoys watching his younger brother Holden鈥檚 travel baseball games.
鈥淏aseball has always been my favorite sport,鈥� Cathey said. 鈥淓veryone in my family has played, so it鈥檚 something we share together.鈥�
His experience in the announcer鈥檚 booth has only strengthened his dream of becoming a professional broadcaster鈥攑ossibly even at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.
鈥淚f I can find any other games to announce, I鈥檒l do that,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 would mostly want to do baseball, but I wouldn鈥檛 mind doing sports like wrestling too.鈥�