Oklahoma Hires Tennessee's Bell As Pitching Coach

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Mike Bell, who coached two first-round draft picks at Tennessee, is hired Monday as the new pitching coach at Oklahoma.<br/><br/>Bell was on the coaching staff for Tennessee's

Monday, July 16th 2007, 6:24 pm

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Mike Bell, who coached two first-round draft picks at Tennessee, is hired Monday as the new pitching coach at Oklahoma.

Bell was on the coaching staff for Tennessee's 2005 trip to the College World Series and played in the event twice as a player at Florida State.

He replaces Fred Corral, who took Bell's old job at Tennessee.

Among Bell's pupils at Tennessee were Luke Hochevar, the number 1 overall pick in the 2006 Major League Baseball draft, and James Adkins, the school's career leader in strikeouts and a first-round pick in this year's draft.

Bell spent six years playing in the minor leagues and then started coaching at a Florida high school and before moving on to NCAA Division Two Florida Southern College.