A .650 lifetime hitter, Bell had power to all fields. That talent led her to be selected to the USSSA Class A All-State team in Rockford in 1985, and helped her teams qualify for several USSSA World tournaments.

After starting with Fred Bach Auto Body of Belleville, Bell moved to Miller Lite of Belleville, (later Hecker). Towards the end of her career she played two seasons with Coors of Champaign. From the time she was eighteen on, Bell has been a player to whom teammates have looked up to for support, guidance and leadership. In fact, Bell is remembered as much for her organizational and logistics skills as for her playing ability, particularly with the Miller Lite teams.

Bell retired in 1988 following her second back surgery, to repair a cracked disc injured playing indoor softball. "It's kind of hard when you don't get to pick your time to leave," she says.

Still, Bell retains many friends from the sport. "I probably consider five of the girls I played with my best friends," she says. Another four or five she sees several times a year. "I made lifelong friends, and had a lot of good times."

Among those good times were the years spent hitting softballs over the fence at Fox Valley and in Rockford. One of her fondest memories, though, is off being utterly lost in Kingston, North Carolina. After flying in for the USSSA World, Bell and teammate Deb German took turns changing into their uniforms in their rental car, and looking fruitlessly for the park where the tournament was being held. Finally, they spotted another car with rental plates and asked them if they were headed to the park. The car's occupants, Brenda Paulson and her husband Ken smiled and said, "follow us." Brenda had the women run ahead while she parked their car. Bell and German got to the field as the first pitch was being tossed, and looked up later to see Paulson walk up, smiling, with their purses and bags in her arms.