Bell Named Pitching Coordinator for USA Baseball 16U National Team Development Program
7/26/2019 3:30:00 PM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH – University of Pittsburgh baseball coach Mike Bell will serve as the pitching coordinator for USA Baseball 16U National Team Development Program. The second-annual 16U NTDP will be held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, from July 31 – Aug. 5.
"What an honor it will be, not only to put on the Red, White, and Blue, but to represent the United States of America and continue to teach America's pastime. The greatest game in the world, the game of baseball," said Bell. "Not only is this great visibility for Pitt Baseball as we continue to build and create our brand, but it also allows us to continue to learn from the best minds in the game today."
The National Team Development Program offers identified athletes an opportunity to connect with USA Baseball staff to better prepare for a future national team experience. The program includes skill development sessions, off-field education seminars, an intrasquad series between Stars and Stripes teams, and exposure to professional scouts, college recruiters and 18U National Team staff and task force.
Greg Brown (Nova Southeastern) returns to the 16U NTDP staff as the 2019 Field Coordinator after serving as a coach at the inaugural event in 2018. Bell and Jacksonville University head coach Chris Hayes join Brown's staff as the pitching coordinator and defensive coordinator, respectively.
FIU head coach Mervyl Melendez will serve as manager of the Stars team with Greensboro College head coach Frank Maldonado (assistant coach) and VCU assistant coach Mike McRae (pitching coach) joining his staff. The Stripes team will be skippered by Dan Ramsay, an area scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks, with Virginia assistant coach Mike Garza (assistant coach) and Centre College head coach Drew Briese (pitching coach) rounding out the staff.
The roster is made up of 36 athletes who were identified and selected based on their participation and performance at USA Baseball sanctioned events, including the National Team Championships and the National Team Identification Series (NTIS), among others. In total, the roster includes eight alumni of USA Baseball national teams and eight players that have participated on an NTDP team in the past.
Twenty-six invitees are new to USA Baseball national team programming in 2019, including 11 athletes that represented their respective region at the 2018 15U NTIS Champions Cup in Cary, North Carolina, and 13 that were selected from the 2019 National Team Championships in Arizona and Florida.
The player pool will be divided into two teams, Stars and Stripes, with games scheduled for Aug. 1 (5 pm), Aug. 2 (7 pm), Aug. 4 (7 pm) and Aug. 5 (1 pm). The first three games will be played at the USA Baseball Training Complex with the finale taking place at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Bell guided Pitt to 21 wins, including marquee victories over No. 11 North Carolina, No. 7 Georgia Tech and national powerhouse Florida State, in his inaugural season with the Panthers. Connor Perry and Nico Popa earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors, while Dan Hammer, Perry and Derek West were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. Cole MacLaren also signed a free agent deal with the Detroit Tigers following the season.
Since 2005, Bell has helped lead three teams to four College World Series appearances – Tennessee (2005), Oklahoma (2010) and Florida State (2012 & 2017). He has coached eight All-Americans, guided 12 Top 25 recruiting classes and coached 50 MLB Draft picks, including 25 at Florida State. In 2012, he was named the Perfect Game Assistant Coach of the Year and was named the No. 13 recruiter in the country by D1Baseball.com prior to the 2017 season.
Bell joined Florida State in 2012, where he oversaw the pitching staff and helped guide the Seminoles to two College World Series appearances. Under his guidance, the Florida State pitching staff led the country with 635 strikeouts in 2018 and he has coached 25 draft picks since 2012, including six in 2017 and 2014 first round selection Luke Weaver. In his first five seasons with the Seminoles, Bell's staffs posted an ERA below 3.50 – the lowest three-year total since 1999-2001 – and a sub-3.00 ERA for the first time in 10 years following the 2013 season. The Sarasota, Florida, native also coached at Oklahoma and Tennessee prior to his time with at FSU. He helped to lead both programs to the College World Series and set program strikeout records at both stops with 568 at Tennessee in 2005 and 583 at Oklahoma in 2010.
Following a successful career as a player at Florida State that saw the Seminoles reach the College World Series in 1994 and 1995, Bell was selected in the 20th round of the 1995 draft by the Montreal Expos. He spent six years in the minor leagues, including reaching the Double-A level with the Baltimore Orioles' organization.
"What an honor it will be, not only to put on the Red, White, and Blue, but to represent the United States of America and continue to teach America's pastime. The greatest game in the world, the game of baseball," said Bell. "Not only is this great visibility for Pitt Baseball as we continue to build and create our brand, but it also allows us to continue to learn from the best minds in the game today."
The National Team Development Program offers identified athletes an opportunity to connect with USA Baseball staff to better prepare for a future national team experience. The program includes skill development sessions, off-field education seminars, an intrasquad series between Stars and Stripes teams, and exposure to professional scouts, college recruiters and 18U National Team staff and task force.
Greg Brown (Nova Southeastern) returns to the 16U NTDP staff as the 2019 Field Coordinator after serving as a coach at the inaugural event in 2018. Bell and Jacksonville University head coach Chris Hayes join Brown's staff as the pitching coordinator and defensive coordinator, respectively.
FIU head coach Mervyl Melendez will serve as manager of the Stars team with Greensboro College head coach Frank Maldonado (assistant coach) and VCU assistant coach Mike McRae (pitching coach) joining his staff. The Stripes team will be skippered by Dan Ramsay, an area scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks, with Virginia assistant coach Mike Garza (assistant coach) and Centre College head coach Drew Briese (pitching coach) rounding out the staff.
The roster is made up of 36 athletes who were identified and selected based on their participation and performance at USA Baseball sanctioned events, including the National Team Championships and the National Team Identification Series (NTIS), among others. In total, the roster includes eight alumni of USA Baseball national teams and eight players that have participated on an NTDP team in the past.
Twenty-six invitees are new to USA Baseball national team programming in 2019, including 11 athletes that represented their respective region at the 2018 15U NTIS Champions Cup in Cary, North Carolina, and 13 that were selected from the 2019 National Team Championships in Arizona and Florida.
The player pool will be divided into two teams, Stars and Stripes, with games scheduled for Aug. 1 (5 pm), Aug. 2 (7 pm), Aug. 4 (7 pm) and Aug. 5 (1 pm). The first three games will be played at the USA Baseball Training Complex with the finale taking place at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Bell guided Pitt to 21 wins, including marquee victories over No. 11 North Carolina, No. 7 Georgia Tech and national powerhouse Florida State, in his inaugural season with the Panthers. Connor Perry and Nico Popa earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors, while Dan Hammer, Perry and Derek West were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. Cole MacLaren also signed a free agent deal with the Detroit Tigers following the season.
Since 2005, Bell has helped lead three teams to four College World Series appearances – Tennessee (2005), Oklahoma (2010) and Florida State (2012 & 2017). He has coached eight All-Americans, guided 12 Top 25 recruiting classes and coached 50 MLB Draft picks, including 25 at Florida State. In 2012, he was named the Perfect Game Assistant Coach of the Year and was named the No. 13 recruiter in the country by D1Baseball.com prior to the 2017 season.
Bell joined Florida State in 2012, where he oversaw the pitching staff and helped guide the Seminoles to two College World Series appearances. Under his guidance, the Florida State pitching staff led the country with 635 strikeouts in 2018 and he has coached 25 draft picks since 2012, including six in 2017 and 2014 first round selection Luke Weaver. In his first five seasons with the Seminoles, Bell's staffs posted an ERA below 3.50 – the lowest three-year total since 1999-2001 – and a sub-3.00 ERA for the first time in 10 years following the 2013 season. The Sarasota, Florida, native also coached at Oklahoma and Tennessee prior to his time with at FSU. He helped to lead both programs to the College World Series and set program strikeout records at both stops with 568 at Tennessee in 2005 and 583 at Oklahoma in 2010.
Following a successful career as a player at Florida State that saw the Seminoles reach the College World Series in 1994 and 1995, Bell was selected in the 20th round of the 1995 draft by the Montreal Expos. He spent six years in the minor leagues, including reaching the Double-A level with the Baltimore Orioles' organization.
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