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The Indiana Daily Student

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Stanton fills out staff with two new assistant coaches

Members of IU Softball team watch the game against #2 ranked University of Michigan at Andy Mohr Field last Saturday. The Hoosiers lost 0-8.

Less than two weeks after being hired as the next head coach of the IU softball program, Shonda Stanton has decided to stick with the familiar when it comes to the coaches surrounding her.

Stanton announced Monday that Chanda Bell and Kendall Fearn would continue to serve as her assistant coaches, making the move from Marshall University to IU with her.

“I am incredibly proud to bring Kendall and Chanda with me to Bloomington,” Stanton said in an IU Athletics release. “They will be involved in every facet of IU Softball with Kendall’s focus on our offensive system while Chanda’s will be with our pitching staff.”

Bell and Fearn had served under Stanton for the past four years at Marshall.

The trio combinined for a .616 winning percentage during the period.

The move will be a homecoming for Bell.

An Indianapolis-native, she attended Franklin Central High School before playing at the University of Kentucky from 2009-2012.

Bell’s on-field accomplishments included pitching the first no-hitter and the first perfect game in Kentucky history, setting the school record for strikeouts in a season and setting the school single-game strikeout record.

She left Kentucky as the all-time winningest pitcher in Wildcat history.

“I would like to thank Coach Stanton and the athletic department for the opportunity to return to the state of Indiana and become a part of the Hoosier Softball staff,” Bell said.

“The amount of support shown by the athletic department already has been overwhelming.”

After spending a season as a student assistant coach at Kentucky, Bell went to Marshall and oversaw the development of then-freshman pitcher Jordan Dixon. Dixon was named the 2017 Conference USA Pitcher of the Year after compiling a 32-10 record and a 1.87 ERA.

As a team, Marshall recorded a 2.32 ERA in 2017, compared to a 3.91 mark put up by IU.

Bell’s track record with a strikeout pitcher in Dixon could bode well for her time at IU, and specifically with regard to sophomore pitcher Tara Trainer.

On offense, Fearn will bring a speedy style of play to Bloomington.

Fearn’s four-year run with the Thundering Herd saw Marshall break the school record for stolen bases in a season on three occasions, twice leading the country in stolen bases.

Marshall was the third coaching stop for Fearn after stints at Georgia Southern and her alma mater, UNLV. Fearn played for the Rebels from 2006-2009.

“This is a very exciting opportunity to be a part of Indiana University and to compete with the Hoosier Softball program for a Big Ten Championship,” Fearn said. “I am thrilled to be able to continue developing strong, confident young women in the classroom, community, and on the field with Shonda and Chanda.”

Fearn will also work with the outfield as part of her assistant-coaching responsibilities.

The arrival of Bell and Fearn means graduate assistant Michelle Huber is the only member of IU’s 2016 coaching staff to remain in her prior role.

Former assistant coach Ben Sorden is no longer with the team.

Another former assistant, Mike Perniciaro, was recently named the head softball coach at Indiana State last week.

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