LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Inside the press box at Gary Hogan Field, Dallas Cathey leaned toward the microphone and listened.
The crack of the bat told him everything he needed to know.
For most broadcasters, it was just another moment during a college baseball game. For Cathey - a 16-year-old who has been blind since birth — it was part of his debut as a color analyst for Little Rock's game against the University of Tennessee at Martin, streamed live worldwide on ESPN+.
And he sounded right at home.
"I think I could have done better, but I set high standards for myself and am my biggest critic," said Cathey, who is from Warren, a small rural town in southeast Arkansas. "For the most part, I think I did well. I loved it. I expected there to be a lot more silence. I didn't think it was going to be as fun as it was."
Cathey has never used blindness as an excuse. Instead, he has spent years developing a love for baseball, often attending his younger brother Holden's travel games and studying the sport.
Friday night, that passion reached a new stage.
Working alongside Little Rock ESPN+ play-by-play voice Max Coltrane, Cathey introduced hitters, analyzed situations, and kept up with the action throughout the three-hour broadcast.
"I decided from the beginning I wanted it to be more fun for him than anything," Coltrane said. "But I was impressed. He did a great job, and I don't think quality ever took a backseat on the broadcast.
"We bounced off each other well. He picked up the game listening to the PA announcer introduce each batter and by using the stat sheet in front of him. It was super enjoyable, and we were comfortable with each other. He definitely brought something unique to the broadcast."
The opportunity came together thanks to Jena McDonnell, Cathey's work-study supervisor at the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
McDonnell had been trying to find Cathey a summer internship. Knowing his love for baseball, she contacted the Miracle League of Arkansas, an organization that provides opportunities for children with disabilities to play the sport.
Cathey already plays in the Miracle League in Monticello.
The league's director, Peggy McCall, said there were no summer openings because the season ends in June. But she suggested reaching out to
Brandy Dixon, Little Rock's Associate AD for Marketing and Engagement.
Dixon worked with Broadcast Director Hannah Ford, who oversees ESPN+ productions, and Coltrane to make the idea happen.
Cathey was originally scheduled to sit in on the May 6 game against UCA, but it was canceled due to weather. When Friday night's game became available, Cathey jumped at the opportunity.
"I failed on the internship placement, but I think I did better," McDonnell said with a laugh. "My husband said, 'How is that going to work?'
"I told him I've been in this job eight years, and these students have shown me if they want to do something, they will find a way. I've learned not to question it.
A difficult beginning
Holly and Jeff Cathey were thrilled when Dallas was born.
But around seven weeks later, Jeff noticed something unusual. His son wasn't tracking him with his eyes.
The couple brought the infant to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, where doctors determined Dallas was blind. He later spent time at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis as doctors ruled out cancer.
"It's one of the most gut-wrenching things that could happen," Holly Cathey said. "We weren't prepared for that. When we noticed he wasn't tracking, we thought maybe he just needed glasses or something.
"When we left St. Jude and learned it wasn't cancer, that was the best news we could have. But we didn't know what to do. We didn't have any kids yet, so we didn't know how to raise one."
The Catheys made a decision early.
They weren't going to raise Dallas in what they called a "soft home." They would challenge him to be independent.
That mindset shaped the teenager he is today.
Many people who meet Cathey barely notice he is blind, his mother said.
He plays the piano and drums and lives independently in a dormitory at the Blind School campus more than two hours from his parents.
With McDonnell's guidance, he also works in the school library, where the two often talk baseball.
"He's something special," McDonnell said. "He is a sophomore and already has college goals. He doesn't want to sit around - he wants to work.
"He's always asking, 'What are we doing today?' He attacks every day. He's just an All-American kid with a big heart."
Finding his voice in the booth
Preparation for the broadcast began with a lunch meeting with Ford and Coltrane the day before the game.
When Cathey arrived at the ballpark Friday, he met with Coltrane and producer
Nick Blanford before heading down to the field to meet Trojans head coach
Chris Curry.
"I was impressed with Dallas," Curry said. "You could tell right away he is a student of the game — 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 quickly looked comfortable in the broadcast booth.
He introduced each Trojan batter, sharing hometowns and statistics while Coltrane described the action.
Sometimes Cathey didn't need help.
"A couple of times he knew a ball was fair or foul just by the sound it made coming off the bat," Coltrane said. "Late in the game, I said it was a full count, and he corrected me — it was 2-2.
"He was sharp in the booth and kept up with everything."
A three-hour baseball broadcast leaves plenty of room for conversation.
At one point Coltrane shared a story Cathey had told him earlier. A Los Angeles Dodgers fan, Cathey admitted he fell asleep during Game 5 of the World Series and woke up to discover the Dodgers had clinched the championship.
He couldn't celebrate because the other students in his dorm were asleep.
When Coltrane mentioned celebrating the Texas Rangers' 2023 World Series title, Cathey quickly reminded him of the 2011 Fall Classic, when the St. Louis Cardinals stunned the Rangers with a historic comeback.
"I don't like the Cardinals too much," Cathey joked on the broadcast. "That's something we can probably both agree on."
A night he didn't want to end
Before the game, McDonnell told Cathey they could leave early if he became tired.
Cathey laughed off the suggestion.
He told her he would never leave early and that he was "praying for extra innings."
When the broadcast ended three hours later, it was clear he wished the night had lasted longer.
"I think that was great," Cathey said. "Hanging out with them in the press box, them telling me I was one of them now - that was great.
"I really felt like I belonged in that press box."
And for one unforgettable night at Gary Hogan Field, calling a Division I baseball game on ESPN+, he did.
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