In high school, being involved in different extra-curricular activities while maintaining good grades isn’t always a simple task. While balancing choir, softball and her schoolwork, senior Emily Peirce is a good example of what it takes to succeed in each of these areas.

Softball has been a large part of Peirce’s high school career, and teammates and coaches say she definitely shows her commitment to the sport on the field.

“If you see her on the mound, you always hear her talking to the team, letting them know how many outs, situations and taking control of the game,” softball coach Enrique Luna said.

Peirce’s teammates look up to her when there is a difficult situation during a game. Freshman Erica Russell said she can always count on Peirce to know what to do.

“If you ask her a question, she knows exactly what you’re saying and what you’re supposed to do,” Russell said. “She always has the answers to your questions, so I just ask her about anything.”

Softball has not only made Peirce grow as an athlete, it has also helped her grow off the field.

“One of the biggest ways softball has helped me in other areas is that I’ve seen the value of giving everything your best shot,” Peirce said. “You can’t win every game, but you can always give it your all, and that can be applied to any other area of my life, whether it be schoolwork or something extracurricular.”

Along with her softball career, Pierce stays focused in the classroom, and teacher Megan Jones is confident that Peirce’s hard work in school will pay off after she graduates.

“Emily keeps everyone on task and every student should do what she does,” Jones said. “She’s a really hard worker and she’ll be successful in anything, whether it’s in college, a profession, athletics, the arts, or whatever else she wants to do.”

Peirce never ceases to be a motivator to her peers in and out of school, whether it be to her teammates, classmates or her friends.

“By just being herself and letting people know that she’s there for them shows that she really cares,” Russell said. “She makes sure everyone’s happy and when she knows that someone’s down, she goes and picks them up.”