RUSTON, La. - The city of Junction City, Arkansas sits 30 miles north of Ruston, home of senior infielder Courtney Lowe. Lowe spent her entire childhood along the small city that sits on the border of Arkansas and Louisiana, spending most of her time at the home of Elanor "Faye" Rogers, better known to Courtney as, "Nanny."

"It was my granddaddy's farm," Courtney said. "We have land behind it. There was a pond out front and they had cows, horses and chickens. We would always go run around and hide out in the woods when it was time for my cousin to go home."

Her cousin is Dustin Rogers, the cousins are separated in age by just two years, and growing up, they were raised like siblings. Every morning before leaving for work, Courtney's mother Ellen Lowe would drop her off for the day.

"My nanny would keep my cousin and me all day long," Courtney said. "My dad coached football and my mom was a cheer coach so they were gone until at least five every day. She was a huge part of my life. We would go run around outside all day. We had an old wood bat and baseball. They had a pool where we would swim when it was warm. Sometimes he would go ride horses and stuff, but I did not like doing that. I was always told that horses had a mind of their own and could sense your fear and that only scared me more."

For many teens, a grandmother is someone to turn to for an ear to listen, a beacon for advice or just a shoulder to lean on. Courtney and her Nanny were no different.

"They became best friends," Ellen said. "When she was little and even when she went off to school, Courtney would call and check on her and they would talk for hours."

The two would talk about life, family and faith. With each talk, the two continued to grow closer and the friendship that budded only made their relationship stronger.

Faye was loved within the community and even more so within the family. Spending time with family became essential to Courtney and with each passing day her relationship with her grandmother only grew.

"She loved unconditionally," Ellen said about Faye. "She was my best friend and Courtney's best friend. It did not matter what you did, she did not judge anybody."

As time passed, Courtney grew and her softball career took off. With college on the horizon, the family cherished time together, but eventually, it was time for Courtney to turn the page to a new chapter in her life.

With a scholarship offer in hand from the Lady Techsters, Courtney packed her bags for the short trip to Ruston. Not long after her arrival in Ruston, Faye's health took a turn for the worse.

"She got sick my freshman year and had cancer," Courtney said. "I was going home a lot then, but it was not a regulated schedule. It was just whenever I could go. I just wanted to go see her because she was like my best friend. She beat cancer twice and it came back again totally unexpected."

Faye's deteriorating health took a toll on the family's emotions and Courtney's strength was vital in holding the close knit group together.

"Courtney was my rock through her illness," Ellen said. "She was my rock through it all. I could not have made it through it all without her."

Faye continued to battle, never giving in. Throughout this time, Courtney frequently called back home to check on her grandmother and despite the distance between them their relationship never faltered.

Courtney would spend weeks at home during the summer and this past summer was no different. After finishing up her junior season, Courtney returned home for two weeks before summer classes began.

The day Courtney was set to return to Ruston, her younger brother Joe convinced her to stick around for one more day so the family could spend one last day together. Later that day, Courtney, Faye and her aunt gathered in the kitchen cherishing their time together before Courtney returned to school; that's when Faye fell ill.

"She all of a sudden said, 'I feel sick, I feel sick.' I was there and my aunt was there. We got her to her bedroom and called an ambulance. My mom rushed back from Homer and got there 10 minutes before she went unconscious."

Faye Rogers passed away from a brain hemorrhage on June 8, 2015.

"The last day we had a great day together," Courtney said. "It was crazy how it happened so fast. It made me realize that I wanted to hold on to the people that I love the most because you never know. You would have never expected that to be the last day."

Courtney won't forget their last day together. In what had become an essential part of their relationship, the two sat down for a discussion that lasted for hours.

"We had a very deep talk the day before," Courtney said. "We talked about everything. We talked about family, life, faith and everything. I would go home and we would talk for hours on hours, but this was different and I was glad we got to have that. She really showed me what love and unselfishness was. She showed me how to be giving and she is just a huge part of my life. She was very important in my life."

The most important thing in Faye's life was her family and that is something she has passed on to not only her daughter, Ellen, but to Courtney as well. Through those difficult times, Courtney and Ellen had each other to lean on and their relationship continues to grow.

"[Courtney] is my best friend," Ellen said. "She comes home every Sunday night. Family is really important to Courtney and she has always been that way. She is going to be around her family no matter what is going on."

While it has been a challenging road since then, Courtney is ready to take the field with her teammates on Feb. 12 in Gulf Shores. When she does take that first step on the field, she won't be alone, she'll have her newest guardian angel at her side.