NATCHEZ — Steven Porter will be back on the diamond for the Adams County Christian School Rebels for the first time in two years, and for the junior, he still hasn’t been able to put a finger on why he took time off.

“I missed playing,” he said. “I don’t know why I quit. I wish I wouldn’t have.”

One thing Porter never stopped doing, though, is making a name for himself in the classroom.

Porter boasts a 3.9 GPA and said academics have always been an important aspect of his life.

“Ever since I was young, my dad always expected me to make good grades,” he said. “He pretty much wouldn’t accept anything else.”

Porter hasn’t disappointed, and is still shooting for some of his lofty goals before he graduates high school.

“I want to be in the high 20’s on my ACT and have the highest GPA I can get,” he said.

As for college, Porter said he hasn’t set anything in stone, but has given it some thought.

“I think about it a lot, but haven’t made any decisions really,” he said. “I’ve thought about maybe going into petroleum engineering.”

For Porter to get there, he knows he will have to put in the work, and ACCS head baseball coach Richy Spears said Porter is a dedicated individual.

“Since I’ve been here, he’s always been dedicated to what he’s done, whether it be sports or school,” Spears said. “This is my first year having him in class and he does everything you ask of him. He does everything the right way, always doing stuff in a timely fashion. All-around, he is just a wonderful kid.”

Spears also added that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Porter take the field often for the Rebels.

“I know he is going to work at it, because everything he does, he works at,” Spears said. “He pitches some, too, and if he throws strikes, he can definitely get in there. Fielding wise, he’ll give you everything he’s got and will hustle. He’s never going to quit. You can deal with somebody like that, who is going to do it right.”

As for Porter, he is hoping to see his team thrive this upcoming season.

“I hope we do as well as possible,” he said. “We haven’t had our whole team until (Wednesday) because of basketball, so it is kind of hard to tell where we are.”