Millikan boys baseball season has now started and senior star player Daunte Bell II is ready for a big final season. Bell is a pitcher on the Varsity baseball team and is already committed to the University of Houston to play D1 baseball and continue his education after turning down multiple schools.
Millikan baseball coach and Intro. to Business teacher Ron Keester says, “He’s extremely talented. He’s got a very special gift for that art he has and he’s making the most of it… he’s gonna be really good for us this year…”
Bell is part of the MLB Development program. He describes it as an opportunity to engage with coaches that either played Major League Baseball (MLB) or coached the MLB. The MLB development program invites youth (mainly from African American and Latin cultures) players nationwide to events with the goal of improving them as athletes and make them the best baseball players they can be, mentally and physically.
“I can see his competitive nature on the mound when we hop on the field he flips a switch and we can really see that nature and him being a leader on this team,” says teammate Marco Marchionni, an MBA senior.
Bell says he wants to play baseball as long as possible with a goal of playing in the MLB after playing D1 baseball in college. He received Morre League Pitcher of the Year in 2025 and received multiple offers to continue his athletic career at schools like UCLA, USC, Cal State Fullerton and more but committed to Houston in September because “They felt like a second family as soon as I got on the campus and the energy and support there is like no other college I visited. The environment around the school feels like a second place to call home,” said Bell.
“His abilities are really that high to where I could see him possibly pitching in the major league someday. And what goes along with not only that, but it’s really his work ethic too,” says Keester.
You can support Millikan Baseball through their instagram and by attending their next game is on Thursday 19th of Feb.
Johan Monsivaiz • Mar 3, 2026 at 1:38 pm
This article described how Bell, a senior baseball player, is on track to becoming a major success. I liked how this article showed where Daunte Bell is going to college while also elaborating on the colleges that he turned down. This was very interesting. I am a friend of Bell and I did not know that he chose not to go to UCLA.
Another good inclusion in this article was the quotes from his coach and fellow teammate. They really show the type of competitor Bell is and that he is very helpful to the team. One suggestion for this article that I have is to also include something about how good a teammate he is. This is because I know that he is always supportive of everyone no matter what. This could enhance the article even more.
Overall this article is very informative while also being interesting. It gives insight into what Bell may become and shows the successes he has already had.
Sincerely,
Johan Monsivaiz
Landon Applegate • Mar 3, 2026 at 11:19 am
I really liked how the author got quotes from both the head baseball coach here at Millikan High School and also players in the program. I have seen first hand how Coach Keester runs his program from being in it for the past three years and I know that he has a very intelligent overview on how competitive players compete and win games. I have also been friends with Marco Marchionni since I was 12 years old and know how strong of a player he is. He has played in some very high level baseball games, making his interpretation of Daunte Bell II creditable.
I have been friends with Daunte Bell II since I was 13 years old. We played at Whaley Park, a pony baseball league before high school on the Angels together. I played first base and Daunte was one of our team’s starting pitchers. He was very talented at that young age. From what I remember about that season is that he was an unstoppable force on the mound. His fastball was firm and made hitters very late on the ball. Most of the time they missed it and if they were lucky enough to get a piece of it they would hit it to the opposite side from their pull side. For this reason we played our outfield in a shifted position towards the foul lines. He also had great off speed pitches like his curveball that threw hitters off balance and messed with their timing. Overall, I am pretty confident everyone else on my old team would say he was the best pitcher in the league.
When I came to Millikan my Freshman year in 2023 I ran into Daunte Bell II again. He is one grade level above me and was the only Sophomore that year that was on varsity. Despite being two years younger than the guys he was pitching to, he’s been a force to reckon with and his craftyness and ability to read batters made him a deadly pitcher. Over the years he always overcame the challenges he faced and I am proud to see his development into the amazing player he is today.
Tyler Carmichael • Mar 3, 2026 at 9:30 am
I recently read this piece while perusing the latest articles published on the Corydon, and this struck me as an interesting piece. Croff begins with a great introduction to who Bell II is and what his plans are for college. In addition to that, she highlights the fact that he is a part of the MLB development program, giving a background of what the development program is and how it benefits and connects to Bell’s career. Croff also adds multiple quotes from both students and baseball/Millikan staff to highlight the perspective they see Bell II from and what they envision for him in the future. Overall, this piece is a great introduction to the talent that is fostered here at Millikan and the stars that may emerge in the years to come.
Separately, I found this article to be impressive with its fulfillment in introducing and explaining the path to what it’s like to want to become an MLB athlete. The introduction of multiple quotes from interviews with students, like I previously stated, fosters a connection to this article’s topics with others. However, I find that adding the childhood of Bell II and how his baseball career started to what it is now may be something to add that can help build a connection to him and allow readers to identify some possible similarities they have with an athlete like him. All in all, this article is an incredible way to highlight the talent that Bell. In addition to the talent here at our school that someday may appear on our television screens as athletes that we can say we remember hearing about at our own high school.
Ella Cates • Mar 3, 2026 at 9:30 am
On February 24, 2026, Emma Croff y wrote an article titled “Daunte Bell II: Rising Star”. This article, written from a student’s perspective, truly states the impact that High School sports have on students. She interviewed his coach and teammate, giving us credibility that he is a good player and has so much to strive for. Personally, I think it’s amazing to watch players I went to school with play at such a high level in sports, especially baseball. Watching players with good morals and who want what’s best for everyone makes the sport even better. I really enjoy how the author went above and beyond getting information from him about the teams he is on and what they meant to him. I didn’t know what the development program would do since he’s not going to the MLB right after High School, and now it makes sense. I didn’t know that he had offers from other high-level schools like UCLA. The way he explained picking Huston makes it seem like he’s not in it for the popularity, but what’s best for him, and makes him feel like he’s at home. This informs not only the school but also those who may be considering Millikan for sports. This illustrates that our sports programs are dedicated and will push your child to become a better athlete, not only mentally but also physically. Overall, this article is well-formatted, informative, and encouraging.
Reed Dunnick • Mar 3, 2026 at 9:27 am
I think your article does a great job explaining how his athletic abilities really brought him to the next level. I like how you included the different colleges he got offered to play at and why he chose University of Houston. The part where you include quotes from the Millikan baseball coach talking about why he can go really far in this sport really showed how he is one of a kind. A suggestion that could make the article even stronger would be adding how his teammates see him on and off the field. Some people might be excited to hear about that and see how he is as a person and what they think of his pitching as well.
Overall, your writing is super clear, and the topic is definitely interesting to a lot of us. This article made me think about how inspiring it is to hear about athletes living their dreams. Finally, I enjoyed reading your article and learning more about Millikan’s star athlete.
thanh • Mar 2, 2026 at 1:14 pm
I find this article to be quite interesting. I think that it’s nice that our school is giving spotlight to those that are really outdoing themselves and are making it big. I enjoyed how the article included the fact that he is already committed to play D1 baseball at the University of Houston. It’s nice to think that people I’ve gone to school with are making it big and making a name for themselves out there in the world. I suggest that Millikan Corydon should continue to create more articles spotlighting specific students and their talents and skills. I feel that it could have the capability to inspire and motivate other students at Millikan to go further with their skills and talent. I hope Daunte makes it to the big leagues and ends up in the MLB. It would be nice to see someone you went to school with just playing baseball on your TV.