NATCHEZ — The softball field serves as a place of solace for Trinity Episcopal Day School’s Christi Ballard.

Engrained within the dirt of the diamond is a connection with family and a community that supported the junior softball player through the darkest moments of her life.

“I’ve grown up in a softball community, because before I started playing, I watched my mom play softball, and it’s kind of like a stress reliever for me,” said Ballard, who watched her mother play in church leagues growing up. “It’s my connection to my mom.”

Ballard’s mother, Renee, was diagnosed with cancer when Christi was a baby. The doctors said Renee would live four months, but she lived for 13 years before she died in 2011. The passing of her mother served as one of the reasons Christi chose not to play softball as a freshman two years ago.

“It was just my dad and I, and we were going through a lot of changes,” Ballard said. “I didn’t want to overbear myself and my dad, so I figured it would be a good idea not to do it. It was a tough time, but this community really rallied around us. It gave me an opportunity to focus on my studies.”

Ballard excelled in the classroom, earning a 4.2 GPA. Going into her junior year, Ballard challenged herself by doubling up on sciences, taking AP courses and an advanced math class. Ballard, whose best subject is math, hopes to enter the medical field after graduation.

“It sounds really nerdy, but I love numbers,” Ballard said. “It’s simple. You learn one concept with it, and it may change with the numbers, but you don’t have to write a lot, even though I like writing too.”

She also made time to go back out on the softball field, learning how to balance extracurricular activites and her studies.

“I have faith in myself that I’m going to do well, and if I don’t, I know I’m going to work harder to do better,” said Ballard, who is also a cheerleader.

Trinity head coach Miranda Smith said Ballard has been a great addition to the team with her speed, but most of all, she’s always positive and encouraging.

“You can ask the girls, and they’ll tell you that (Christi) can do anything,” Smith said. “She balances everything so well, and she’s good at everything she does.”

Ballard said her mother and her father, Mitch, are her role models. Ballard will donate 13 inches of her hair to Locks of Love in October, after witnessing the impact it has on people on a family trip to Maryland years ago. On that trip, she saw Locks of Love donate hair to her mother, which was a visual that stuck with Ballard.

“Everyone gives me compliments on my hair, and I feel like I waste it because I wear it in a bun every day,” Ballard said. “Those who have fights with cancer and lose their hair, there’s nothing they can do about that. I have hair, and I can help those feel beautiful without hair.”

Ballard’s top college choices are Ole Miss and Duke, but Ballard is unsure if she will attend college in state or not.