By Tyler Brown

After making program history during the college baseball season, including a 26-game win streak and a run to the national championship, what would be a better way to celebrate than by playing more baseball?

That’s exactly the plan for Coastal Carolina’s Tadan Bell. After helping the Chanticleers to a 56-13 record, Bell is joining the Upper Valley Nighthawks of the NECBL before returning to Coastal for the 2026 campaign. This summer, he plans to continue right where his team left off, reflecting on what made the collegiate season so special.

“It was such a fun experience with the team,” Bell said. “The confidence we had in each other and in the coaches to go out there and just have fun and play baseball. There’s nothing that matches that level of competitiveness and enjoyment.”

Bell, a left-handed pitcher and redshirt sophomore, appeared in six games this season for the Chanticleers. His best outing came in a contest against Alabama in late February, where he tossed 3.1 hitless innings while striking out four. Now, he's looking to build on that momentum and bring what he learned to summer ball.

“Competing, staying hungry, and making adjustments to get better each day,” Bell said of the mindset he hopes to carry into the NECBL. 

Bell is not the only Chanticleer taking his talents to New England this summer. Brice Estep (Danbury Westerners), Domenico Tozzi (Sanford Mainers), and Oliver Ellison (Vermont Mountaineers) are also suiting up in the NECBL. With four CCU players spread across four teams, fans across New England will get a glimpse of the talent that powered Coastal’s run.

Originally from Columbus, Nebraska, and playing in Conway, South Carolina, Bell is packing his bags and moving to a new part of the country in Hartford, Vermont, the hometown of the Nighthawks. Despite a new location, he’s looking forward to the positives.

“It’ll be a bit of an adjustment,” said Bell. “But it’s another opportunity to build new relationships and be in a different part of the country for a while.”

Playing 69 games with the Chanticleers and looking to play more than 40 with the Nighthawks, Bell is certainly in for a grind. After all, though, there’s no such thing as too much baseball.