FLORENCE — Francis Marion University softball coach Stacey Vallee has announced that first baseman Tamela Bell of Covington, Ga., and right-handed pitcher Emily Dean of Edmonds, Wash., Fla., will transfer to FMU and play for the Patriots next spring.
Bell, 5-9, is transferring to FMU after three seasons at Peach Belt Conference rival Columbus State University. She will have one year of eligibility at FMU.
This past season, she batted .333 with 16 runs scored, seven doubles, one home run, and 18 runs batted in. She also posted a .380 on-base percentage and in the field compiled a .994 fielding percentage with only two errors in 311 chances.
Dean, 6-1, is transferring from Arizona Western College, where she played two seasons. She will have two years to play for the Patriots.
As a senior, she recorded a 14-9 pitching mark with one save and a 3.13 earned run average. She struck out 79 batters in 141 innings and tossed two no-hitters, including one against three-time defending NJCAA Division II national champion Phoenix College. She helped lead AWC to a 29-22-1 overall mark in one of the toughest NJCAA Division I regions in the country.

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