Kevin O'Sullivan parts ways with longtime assistant Craig Bell
Florida Gators head baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan is parting ways with assistant coach Craig Bell. The news was first reported by Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com.
Prior to coming to Florida, Bell served as the Seattle Mariners’ Supervising Area Scout for Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina in the years spanning 2000-07. One source told Gators Online that Bell is likely to get back into scouting.
Bell worked primarily with the outfielders and hitters at Florida. He helped oversee the Gators’ resurgence. That is highlighted by UF’s first National Championship in 2017. The Gators have made seven CWS appearances (2010, ‘11, ‘12, ’15, ’16, ’17, ‘18). They made 13-consecutive NCAA Regionals, and captured five SEC Championships (2010, ’11, ’14, ’17, ’18), and won two SEC Tournament titles (2011, ’15).
“The one word that describes Craig is ‘instincts,'” O’Sullivan is quoted as saying on Bell’s UF coach page. “His instincts as a coach and an evaluator are solid. He has surrounded himself with great people. He has on the field teaching knowledge on all aspects of the game. We have to be able to evaluate the right player and not go after the guy that’s going to sign (professionally) and not show up. He has the right mentality to make sure these kids have the right makeup we’re looking for and have the toughness that we need to win in the Southeastern Conference.
“He brings a unique perspective through his involvement in professional baseball and his background here in the state of Florida. Craig is a great fit with my vision for the Gator program. His experiences have enabled him to put together a tremendous amount of contacts throughout the country.”
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Bell and Sully had been together 15 years
Kevin O’Sullivan tapped Craig Bell and Brad Weitzel to his inaugural staff. Weitzel coached with the Gators for 12 seasons but was fired after the 2019 season. O’Sullivan hired Chuck Jeroloman to replace Weitzel. Jeroloman primarily works with the infielders. Bell had been with O’Sullivan for 15 years, every season Sully had been the head coach at Florida.
The Gators added a new volunteer assistant prior to the 2022 season in David Kopp, who came from Florida Atlantic. Kopp played for Kevin O’Sullivan at Clemson and worked with the Florida pitchers in his first season. Kopp was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at FAU. He could be a candidate to be promoted to a full-time assistant.
