The RoundHouse | 2/19/2021 1:52:00 PM

 
Presley Bell pitched at Houston in 2019, a season in which she beat Wichita State and Shocker starter Erin McDonald 5-4.
 
Two years later, Bell is coaching McDonald, not to mention seven current Shockers in the lineup in 2019, as emergency pitching coach and graduate assistant.
 
"She's lived and breathed it in this conference," Wichita State softball coach Kristi Bredbenner said. "She's been within our program, now in year two, and is very invested in the success of our student-athletes."
 
Bell took over pitching duties in early January for pitching coach Morgan Lashley, who left the team for personal reasons. Bell's made calming and explaining her first goal during the unexpected change.
 
"Trying to make them understand that we're here for them and we're going to work to do our best to make sure we're all successful," Bell said. "Getting back on track and knowing they have people behind them."
 
The Shockers open the season on Saturday in Conroe, Texas against Tarleton State, part of a four-game makeup tournament dubbed the Blizzard Challenge at Scrap Yard Sports Complex. The Shockers will also play Lamar (Saturday) and Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Texas (Sunday).
 
In early January, coaches held Zoom meetings with the group and individually to talk through the change and plan.
 
"We were all pretty nervous going in, at first," junior Hailey Martinez said. "Finding the positives have been really important for us, and it's turned out that us communicating with (Bredbenner) more and learning from Presley has opened the floodgates for us to have more communication."
 
Bell takes over an experienced staff with senior Bailey Lange, junior Caitlin Bingham and McDonald, a junior, possessing 30 or more college starts. It is also a group with work to do after the abbreviated 2020 season in which it compiled a 5.60 earned run average in 27 games and walked almost as many hitters (93) as struck out (98).
 
While Lange is a likely choice for the opening game, Bredbenner said any of those three are capable of taking the top spot. 
 
"It will really depend on who our opponent is," she said. "They've pitched relaxed and I think we're on the same page with pitch calling. Erin McDonald has really picked up her game and has been very, very effective this winter. It's not because she's getting away with pitches, it's because she's throwing really good pitches and making the ball move."
 
Bell's approach in the immediate days after the change helped the transition. 
 
"She's giving us really good advice on what to do in game situations and she's offering good drills," McDonald said. "She is really encouraging. She's been there and she's done that, so she knows."
 
Coaches didn't want to make big changes so close to the season. Bell works on fundamentals and emphasizes communication, support and tweaks. In the bullpen, she emphasizes leg drive and staying on balance and on time.
 
"For me, it's what can we do to hit a spot?" she said. "What kind of things can we focus on to for every pitch to insure we're going to hit that spot consistently . . . not matter the counter?"
 
Bell's recent experience in the circle is also a comfort.
 
"She is very 'Think about it this way,' or 'Hold the ball this way,'" Bingham said. "It's a pitcher coaching a pitcher, and a recent out-of-the-game pitcher. It's those little inside secrets that only pitchers really have."
 
Bredbenner stepped in to work more with pitchers during the transition so she can help with pitch calling and practice routines. The pitchers call her involvement a helpful byproduct of the change.
 
"I feel like it's brought the whole team closer, because now Coach B, Presley, everybody is all-in on what's happening, what's working, what's not working," McDonald said. "We knew going into it there was going to have to be more communication."
 
Bell, who earned second-team all-conference honors as a senior, is in her second season with the Shockers. Some coaches want former pitchers as graduate managers because they can throw batting practice. Bredbenner wants to also use the position as a launching point. Former Shocker Melanie Jaegers worked as graduate manager and director of operations at Wichita State and is now assistant coach at Odessa (Texas) College. Cacy Williams, also a former Shocker, followed a similar path and is director of operations at Kansas.
 
"I want the person, also, who wants to be a coach," Bredbenner said. "And give her an opportunity to learn from us and better her career. I think a lot of times we run into situations as coaches where we take for granted the graduate manager and we just use them for their arm. Then when we're trying to help them find a job, they don't have the real-world experience that enables them to be ready."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.