Jason Bell enters his fourth season as pitching coach for the Nittany Lions. Also possessing an impressive list of credentials, Bell came to Penn State along with head coach Robbie Wine from Oklahoma State in the fall of 2004.

In his three previous years with the Nittany Lions, he has overseen a drastic improvement on the Penn State pitching staff. Last year, Penn State's pitchers led the Big Ten in ERA at 4.05, fewest runs, fewest earned runs and fewest hits allowed overall as the Nittany Lions' record improved by 10.5 games from the previous season. In Big Ten play, Penn State led the conference in pitching by very wide margins. The Nittany Lions' 3.41 team ERA was tops by 1.39 runs. The 112 runs and 89 earned runs allowed were the fewest as Penn State was the only team to allow fewer than 100 earned runs in conference play as Penn State's pitchers allowed fewer than three earned runs per game in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lion hurlers also allowed the second-fewest hits in the league and picked up 20 wins, also second in the league. Four of Bell's pitchers were drafted in the MLB Amateur Draft: Gary Amato, Craig Clark, Scott Gaffney and Drew O'Neil. Amato, Clark and Gaffney all signed professional contracts while O'Neil, who set the school record for saves in a season and had a scoreless inning streak of 20.1 innings, elected to return to school this year despite being an eighth round pick.

In the 2006 season, Penn State's pitchers led the Big Ten in fewest walks with just 157 in 435 innings of work. One pitcher, Clark, was tied for third in the Big Ten in fewest walks allowed with just 14 in 91.2 innings of work. Clark also had a streak of 26.2 straight innings without allowing a walk. Overall, the pitching staff had a 2.22:1 strikeout to walk ratio and through the end of the regular season were second in the Big Ten in strikeouts before eventually finishing tied for fifth in that category with 349 whifs. Additionally, that season's Friday starter, Alan Stidfole, signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

In his first year as pitching coach in 2005, Bell guided the pitching staff to five shutouts and over a 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio. Two pitchers, Sean Stidfole and Josh Palm, were also drafted in the MLB Amateur Baseball Draft.

A co-worker of Wine's in Stillwater, Bell served as volunteer assistant coach in charge of pitching for Oklahoma State for three seasons. During his time with the Cowboys, he aided in the development of seven Oklahoma State pitchers who were taken in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, including a second rounder and a fourth rounder. The Cowboys also won the 2004 Big 12 Conference Championship.

Bell has a combined 17 years of playing and coaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels. Prior to his three-year stint in Stillwater as an assistant coach, he pitched in the minor leagues from 1995-2001. He was selected in the second round of the 1995 draft by the Minnesota Twins and played with the Low A Fort Wayne Wizards, the High A Fort Myers Miracle, the AA New Britain Rock Cats, and the AAA Salt Lake City Buzz. He also played in the Toronto Blue Jays' system for both their Double A and Triple A teams. Bell holds the New Britain Rock Cats' franchise record for career strikeouts and is second in wins.

Prior to his days in the minor leagues, Bell played for three years at Oklahoma State from 1993-95. While pitching for the Cowboys, he played in the 1993 College World Series and was an All-Big Eight selection in 1994 and 1995, when he led the Cowboys both years in ERA (3.30 and 3.10), innings pitched (128 and 145), and strikeouts (140 and 120). He was also a two-time All-American in 1994 and 1995 helped OSU to three Big Eight Conference Championships. His 325.1 innings pitched in his career are the second-most in school history and his 31 career victories are third in school history. He compiled a 31-8 record during his college career. His 145 innings pitched and 19 games started in 1995 are both school records. He also holds the school record for consecutive victories with 19 from 1993-95.

A native of Orlando, Fla. Bell graduated from William R. Boone High School in Orlando, Fla. in 1992. He earned his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State in sociology in 2003 after returning to school following his professional career. He resides in Boalsburg with his wife Tracy.