REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands and Bulldog Athletics are excited to announce the hiring of Kaitlyn Hooper-Bell as the new Assistant Softball Coach. 

"I am really excited to have Kaitlyn join our staff," explained Head Coach Jose Ortega.  "She brings a lot of experience to the program and having a University of Redlands Alum be a part of our staff is amazing.  She understands what it takes to be a Bulldog Student-Athlete."    

Kaitlyn returns to the University after graduating with a BA in Psychology in 2014. After Redlands she earned her MS in Kinesiology from California Baptist University in 2017.

Hooper-Bell's coaching experience includes a stop as an assistant at El Camino College (2014-2021), during that time she was promoted to the associate head coaching role in 2018.  At El Camino her duties included working with pitchers and catchers, recruiting, fundraising, and helping student-athletes successfully transfer to four-year institutions. Her non-coaching duties included teaching as a part-time faculty member in the health sciences and athletics department.

In August of 2021 she was hired as the Head Softball Coach for Victor Valley College, where she also continued her teaching as a part-time faculty member teaching classes in self-defense and sport-specific training.

After a short stint at Victor Valley, Hooper-Bell was named the first assistant softball coach at Chaffey College in January of 2022. She focused on player development, organizing practices, and coordinating recruiting.

Hooper-Bell played two-years for the Bulldogs during the 2013 and 2014 seasons after transferring in from Santa Ana College.

During her career as a Bulldog Hooper-Bell ranks inside the Top-10 in eight career categories including: Innings (249.1 | 10^th), Earned Run Average (2.44 | 7^th), Appearances (61 | 9^th), Wins (26 | T-9^th), Winning Percentage (.765 | 2^nd), Saves (3 | T-1^st), Shutouts (3 | T-10^th), and Fewest Hits Allowed Per 7 innings (7.01 | 6^th).

That final season in 2014, Hooper-Bell helped lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA Division III National Championships where they were regional finalists finishing with a 31-15 record, while winning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Regular-Season Championship. She finished that season with the third most innings pitched in a single season with 180.2, third most wins with 21, and the fourth most starts with 25. For her success on the field, she was named 1^st Team All-SCIAC.