Bianka Bell, LSU’s career leader in home runs, has a new job.
After Bell finished her senior season with the Tigers last spring, she decided to become a student coach.
The Tampa, Florida native plans to coach after college, which is why she took a job on LSU’s staff.
During the last four years, Bell’s coaches, including assistant coach Howard Dobson, have seen her grow as a player and knew she was more than qualified to be a student coach.
While at LSU, Bell played multiple positions in the infield and earned many accolades. She was named first team All-American twice and first team All-SEC.
In her senior season, Bell led the team with a .381 batting average and had 14 home runs.
Bell, who played with Team USA in 2016, will start training to play professionally and hopes to make the Olympic team for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
“It’s nice to have someone who has been an All-American,” Dobson said. “Especially first team All-American, and [who] has done the things she’s done offensively. Now she has seen both sides of the game so it helps to have another set of eyes.”
Bell works with the team at practice and gives the players tips that helped her succeed when she played at LSU.
Instead of fielding ground balls now, Bell has to be able to hit them to her teammates. At batting practice, she has to throw more.
Being on the coaching side rather than the playing side, Bell’s main goal is to just be a mentor and see what the girls can improve on.
“The biggest change has been just having to sit on the sidelines and watch everything,” Bell said. “From going out to practice every day for the last four years, then now just having to cheer from outside the chalk lines is extremely different for me. Seeing them all suit up in their uniforms — I miss that so much.”
Bell had the experience to compete in international ball last season, along with Dobson.
“She’s able to use her experience from international ball and come back here and teach the younger girls what it takes to get to that level,” Dobson said. “They all aspire to be an Olympian or to be a part of the national team and just aspire to be better. [Bell] has actually had the opportunity to play that upper level of softball.”
Since Bell just finished playing, she can relate to the players really well, which helps her in the coaching aspect.
“As we get older, we sometimes forget what it was like to be a player,” Dobson said. “With [Bell], she can relate to what the girls are going through at that exact moment ­­— that [feeling] of anxiety or fear of failure. She has just done it so the experiences are still with her.”
A year ago, most of the girls were her teammates, which is why she tries to keep it light and gain the players trust as a coach.
“First thing [the coaches] told me was that I have to set myself aside from the players.” Bell said. “I can’t be their friend. It’s different now and it’s a different role. Now that it’s spring, I’m more focused on them winning and being their friend won’t be the reason they get first place and not third.”
For now though, she’s just taking it day by day.
“I love being a part of this program and I’m so glad the coaches allowed me to do this,” Bell said. “It’s been a lot different, but I’m glad I get to experience this.”