University of Missouri Athletics

The University of Missouri softball staff added Bella Norton as an assistant coach in the Summer 2024.

Norton heads to Mizzou after spending the past two seasons at Virginia.

At Virginia, Norton worked with both the catchers and base runners. She also assisted with the Cavaliers' offense, opponent scouting, recruiting, alumni engagement and community service projects.

In 2024, Norton helped the Cavaliers secure an NCAA Tournament berth for the second time in program history as Virginia advanced to the championship game at the NCAA Knoxville Regional. She was also a member of the ATEC/NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Virginia finished fourth in the ACC after winning seven-of-eight series in conference play, including series wins over No. 11 Clemson and at No. 3 Duke.

With Norton on staff, a trio of players were awarded 2024 All-ACC honors with Eden Bigham and Jade Hylton each earning first-team honors. Both players were also named NFCA All-Region first team selections.

Norton, a McLean, Virginia, native, was an NFCA All-Region catcher and designated player at Indiana (2017-2021) before joining the coaching ranks. She capped her playing career with NFCA All-Region third team honors in 2021 after leading the Hoosiers with a .341 batting average for the year. For her career, she finished with 80 RBI, 11 home runs and 32 runs scored. She caught 34 runners stealing and fielded at a .987 clip for her career.

A four-time Academic All-Big 10 selection, Norton made 196 starts through 209 games played for Indiana.

Norton has also coached at MLB camps along with leading the Virginia Glory National Team and with her Catch 42 Softball business.