May 8, 2012
STARKVILLE, Miss. –
Senior pitcher Chanda Bell has been named as the Louisville Slugger Division I National Player of the Week for games played April 30 – May 6. The honor marks the first National Fastpitch Coaches Association national accolade in school history.
Bell was 2-0 with a save last week as the Wildcats picked up a critical three-game sweep of then 22nd-ranked LSU. Over 15.2 innings, Bell allowed just three earned runs off of four hits with 16 strikeouts and only five walks. She finished the week with a 1.34 ERA and .085 opponent’s batting average.
The Indianapolis, Ind., native began the week by striking out 10 in an extra-inning affair than ended in a 4-3 eight-inning win for Kentucky. On Saturday, Bell came in and retired the final two batters of the game in the top of the seventh to preserve the 2-1 victory and earn her third save of the season. In the finale on Sunday, Bell tossed the fifth no-hitter of her career to clinch the first series sweep of LSU in program history. The sweep also gave Kentucky the fifth-seed in this weekend’s SEC tournament and gave them enough wins to become NCAA tournament eligible
At the end of her final regular season, Bell is currently 16-10 on the year with three saves, a 2.49 ERA, 194 strikeouts and an opponent’s batting average of .201. She also currently ranks 33rd in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings with 8.3.
Kentucky will begin its postseason run on Thursday at the SEC Tournament at Rhodes Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., as the University of Alabama Crimson Tide will serve as the hosts of the tournament.
