Hall of Fame
Ty Cobb, the greatest hitter of all time with a career average of .367, struck out just 357 times in 11,429 career at bats, or a mere 3.1 percent of the time. Barbara Bell, College of St. Francis' third all-time leading hitter, was better. Despite playing in a sport truly dominated by pitchers, she averaged only 2.5 strikeouts per 100 official plate appearances enroute to penning her name into the record books in three career categories and one single-season department. At the same time, she was a member of teams that went 137-62 (.688 winning percentage), including a 1989 squad which set the record for wins in a season (43) and a 1992 World Series qualifier. Bell, a second baseman, wasted little time in proving herself both offensively and defensively at the collegiate level recording many of her personal-best numbers during her inaugural campaign when she batted .398 with 72 hits (third on the single-season charts) and fielded at a .973 clip. From there, she went on to record the most hits in school history with 204 before that record was broken this past spring by a pair of all-americans in Angela Roe (215) and Kerri Rochowicz (214). Bell now sits third in that department, as well as in career average with her .363 mark. In runs scored, she ranks fifth crossing the plate 118 times for tallies. A NAIA Academic All-America choice during her junior season, Bell also boasted a perfect four-for-four run on the all-District 20 and All-Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference teams, which turned out to be just a continuation of her high school-playing days when she was named to both the all-conference and all-area teams each of her final three varsity seasons. An all-state selection for Hinsdale South High School back in 1988, Bell, who is single, continues to reside in her native Willowbrook, Illinois. A 1992 graduate of St. Francis, who became a Certified Public Accountant.
