FMU Softball adds transfers Bell and Dean
Francis Marion University softball coach Stacey Vallee has announced that first baseman Tamela Bell of Covington, Ga., and right-handed pitcher Emily Dean of Edmonds, Wash., Fla., will transfer to FMU and play for the Patriots next spring.
Bell, 5-9, is transferring to FMU after three seasons at Peach Belt Conference rival Columbus State University. She will have one year of eligibility at FMU.
This past season, she batted .333 with 16 runs scored, seven doubles, one home run, and 18 runs batted in. She also posted a .380 on-base percentage and in the field compiled a .994 fielding percentage with only two errors in 311 chances.
She shares the PBC single-game records for hits (5), RBIs (7), and total bases (13) set during a 2007 game. In three seasons for the Cougars, she amassed career totals of 83 runs scored, 25 doubles, nine home runs, 92 RBIs, and a .317 average in 155 contests. As a sophomore, she hit six home runs and drove in 42 runs as the Cougars went 58-5 and finished third at the NCAA Division II championships.
She is a graduate of Eastside High School, where she earned first-team All-State honors in 2005 after batting .313.
Dean, 6-1, is transferring from Arizona Western College, where she played two seasons. She will have two years to play for the Patriots.
As a senior, she recorded a 14-9 pitching mark with one save and a 3.13 earned run average. She struck out 79 batters in 141 innings and tossed two no-hitters, including one against three-time defending NJCAA Division II national champion Phoenix College. She helped lead AWC to a 29-22-1 overall mark in one of the toughest NJCAA Division I regions in the country.
During her freshman season, Dean was 9-7 with a 2.21 ERA while fanning 88 batters in 104.1 innings. Over her two seasons, she allowed only 203 hits in 245.1 innings.
"I am excited about the opportunities we have with the addition of these two young ladies," said Vallee.
"Coming from a conference opponent, Tamela knows the conference and region teams well. She should have no problem producing on the field as she has for the past three years. She is coming into the program to help fill the void of Monica Wofford, and should produce at both the plate and in the field. She is a great kid who loves the idea of playing for a championship with FMU this time (following her third-place finish at CSU).
"Emily will help compliment our pitching staff immediately. At 6-1, she literally measures up to Smallz (current FMU pitcher Michaela Wolf who stands 6-0) already. She has collegiate experience, and will compliment (left-handed) Smallz from the right side. She has a full arsenal of pitches and can move them around. She has the intimidating factor of her height, but the real intimidation will hopefully come from her pitching. She is a great kid off the field as well, as she really fit in with the team during her recruiting visit. We look forward to having her as a part of our program for the next two years.
"Losing three very important seniors, we had a void that I think we filled with these additions and with the returnees we have. There will be a lot of girls battling this next year for starting spots and I love that idea. I don't know what our 2009 starting lineup might look like now because we have so many possibilities and that is a great thing to look forward to."
Francis Marion lost the three seniors from its 2008 squad that ended the year ranked fifth nationally with a 39-16 record and advanced to the NCAA Division II national tournament's Elite Eight in Houston.
The two transfers join freshman right-handed pitcher/first baseman Lauren Bubeck of Tequesta, Fla., and freshman infielder/catcher Ashley Jaramillo of Canyon Country, Calif., who previously committed to the FMU program.
