Place an Ad Calendars Classified Forums Sports Weather

sptimes.com Text-only News sections Arts & Entertainment AP The Wire Business Citrus County Columnists Floridian Hernando County Hillsborough Letters Movies Neighborhood Times News Update North Pinellas North of Tampa Obituaries Opinion Pasco County South Pinellas Sports State Tampa Bay TV Times World & Nation  Find your local news section Weekly sections Brandon Times City Times Homes Outdoors Perspective Personal Tech Taste Travel Weekend Xpress Special Sections Arena football Buccaneers College football Devil Rays Lightning Police reports Schools Seniority Subscriber Services Subscribe Renew Help Advertise Place an ad In print Online Market Info Join Us Internships Scholarships Times Jobs Contact us

Brandon coach accepts job at Florida Southern

BRANDON -- Following a successful one-year stint, Brandon coach Mike Bell is leaving to accept an assistant's position at Florida Southern.

Bell's departure forces Brandon to hire its third coach in as many years. Bell replaced Greg Parris, who coached the Eagles for 10 years and finished his 14-year career with a 234-138 record.

Bell, 29, said he will miss Brandon, where he enjoyed an 18-11 season and a trip to the playoffs.

"I can't say enough good things about my experience at Brandon," Bell said. "The kids were great. They were hard-nosed, disciplined, scrappy, played fair and always did the little things to help them win.

"There is a great tradition at Brandon and they continue to run a first-class operation."

At Florida Southern, Bell will serve as a pitching coach, recruiting coordinator and first assistant to the head coach.

"Coaching at the college level is something I've always wanted to do," Bell said. "This has been a dream of mine, and when the position opened I felt I had to apply. When they offered me the job, I had to accept.

"Florida Southern is a premier program. They have eight national championships and hopefully I can go over there and help them add a few more."

Bell served as an assistant to Parris for one year before getting the Eagles' head-coaching position.

Bell played at Sarasota Riverview in the early 1990s, pitched for Florida State in the College World Series (1994 and '95) and played minor-league ball for Montreal and Baltimore until 2000.

Brandon returns all but two starters next year, but one of those leaving is pitcher Josh Sawyer, who finished his senior season with a 10-3 record and 1.58 ERA. Sawyer, a Times all-county first-team selection, signed a scholarship with West Florida.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright