Buckeyes Sign 10-Year Old Dacionna Ball – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Nov. 23, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State softball head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly announced on Monday the signing of 10-year-old Dacionna Ball as a member of the team for the next two years.
Ball, who was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, Beta Thalassemia and Vitiligo when she was just three years old, was recruited by Team Impact and paired with the Buckeyes who were looking for a special athlete to complete the final piece of the roster. Team Impact’s mission is to match local children with collegiate teams in an effort to gain strength, support and camaraderie for the child as well as provide courage, resiliency and life perspective that student-athletes can’t learn in a classroom.
“Dacionna is the perfect person and fit for our program,” said Kovach Schoenly. “Her spirt will be an inspiration to us on a daily basis, and I hope we can give her strength in her daily battles. We are going to learn as much from Dacionna as she learns from us. Our team not only gained another member but another sister.”
Dacionna’s day included a press conference where she officially signed as a member of the program and took questions various members of the team. At the end of the night, she and her family participated in one of the team’s most special traditions – signing Carmen Ohio. She has already spent time around the coaches and players, hanging out in the locker room and watching last Monday’s women’s basketball game against UConn.
Dacionna was paired with Team Impact thanks to a tip from her social worker. She is described by her mother as an “organizing queen” and enjoys hanging out with her friends, riding bikes, jumping on her trampoline, singing and dancing. She used to have blood and platelet transfusions every week, but since her treatment with ATG and cyclosporine has begun, she has been transfusion free for two years.
Dacionna is excited to officially join the team. With all she battles through, she truly embodies what it means to be a fighter and is sure to be an inspiration to her teammates and coaches.
