You never know when you are going to get your shot, and Tianna Bell is making the most of hers. The rookie out of Arkansas was just called up by the Chicago Bandits on Saturday, June 13, and has immediately impacted the lineup. Sunday, Bell went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a two-RBI single for 4 RBIs.
“It felt good,” Bell said on Sunday. “Coach mentioned it earlier. This last week, I was living it up. I was done with my college career, giving my body a rest. I got a text. It’s an opportunity that you just can’t miss. Being a part of something big, a first one, is huge.”
She continued that effort Tuesday night. With the Bandits down 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh, she led off with a solo home run to left. That sparked what turned into a win for the Bandits after Mary Iakopo finished it with a walk-off two-run shot to score Jocelyn Erickson.
“Oh, she’s a baller, hitters hit, right?” Bandits head coach Shonda Stanton told Southeastern Softball Wire. “And that’s what she does.”
Bell, in 3 games played, is slashing .444/.444/1.111 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs in 9 at-bats. Given this is a small sample size, she’s made a loud impact, one that Bell didn’t know she would be able to make. Just a week ago, her world was much different. Stanton asked, “Last week, what were you doing?”
According to Stanton, Bell had been reading books in her bed, chilling, thinking her season was over, and possibly her career. Now, she is in a Bandits uniform and making a difference in a professional lineup. Talk about seizing the moment.
This is a great lesson for the youth who are coming up in the game or in life. Always be ready because you never know when you will get your shot. And when you get your shot, go all in.
“You never know when the door is gonna open, and that’s the beautiful thing about this game,” Stanton said. “Sport, softball, it opens doors of opportunity. And man, T-Bell is making it happen. And she brings some life too. She just jumps in, both feet. You gotta love that. She has been a welcome addition.”
Bell is another rookie taking the league by storm. Hitters hit, as Stanton said, and the proof is in the approach and the results through the first week of the season.
