His love for the game began with catching a ball thrown to him by his dad, and catching a pack of bubble gum a bullpen pitcher threw to him at a minor league game in Scranton.

Now, Jim Thorpe’s James Lordi will take his ball and a pack of gum to pitch for the Penn State Nittany Lions. On Wednesday, Lordi signed a full, four-year scholarship offer from the Division I school, the first baseball player ever from Jim Thorpe who will play for a Big Ten college.

“Growing up, I just couldn’t get enough of the game,” he said, “and when I was invited by the coach to visit Penn State, and I saw the baseball field and Happy Valley, it all came together for me. I made up my mind right then and there.”

Lordi’s yet-to-be-finished career for the Olympians has had some stellar moments he and his parents will not soon forget.

As a freshman, with the scored tied in the bottom of the last inning against Pine Grove, Lordi was at the plate and belted a low inside fastball for a walk off home run.

“I knew I hit it well,” he said, “but when it went over the right center field fence, I was surprised that it went that far.”

Lordi’s other great memory came last season when he threw his first complete game, a 3-1 win over a very good North Schuylkill team. He allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out 14. At the plate, Lordi also contributed a single and a double to the victory.

“He’s an extremely hard worker,” said Jim Thorpe coach Joe Marykwas. “His offseason workouts and training have helped his physical ability to throw hard.”

What makes Lordi earning a scholarship to Penn State even more impressive is that he’s only played one-and-a-half seasons until this year for Jim Thorpe. He missed his sophomore year due to the pandemic, and last season, Lordi battled a hamstring injury which limited his playing time to 11 games.

Nonetheless, Lordi’s fastball has hit 90 miles per hour when he played in a travel team tournament in the USA Baseball Championships in North Carolina. While playing for the Northeast Pride travel team, Lordi had an incredible 109 strikeouts in 58 innings pitched.

His parents, James and Kristy Lordi, have been firsthand witnesses of the commitment their son has made to be the best he can be.

“To see all of his hard work come to fruition today is just great because he loves baseball so much,” said Kristy.

‘I knew he could throw hard when I played catch with him when he was 11,” said his father, James, who recalled the days when his son played T-ball at the Jim Thorpe Little League. “He’s a really good hitter and outfielder, too.”

For his senior year, the younger Lordi has set some special goals for the upcoming season.

“I think we have a good chance to win the Schuylkill League and get far in the playoffs,” he said. “We have good team chemistry, and we’re just going to go out and have fun and see where it takes us.”

This hard-throwing left-hander knows that when he pitches for the Nitanny Lions, he’ll have to command his fastball, slider and change up to get Big Ten hitters out.

“I’ll be pitching against 21- and 22-year-old men,” he said. “I can’t wait to take up the challenge.”

Lordi will major in business at Penn State.

His training regimen continues throughout the offseason, working out in a baseball facility in Hazleton on weekends, but he dreams of that first time he steps onto the mound wearing the PSU blue and white, ready to take the sign for his first pitch to a hitter from Ohio State or Michigan or Wisconsin.

For James Lordi - his journey from throwing a baseball to his dad, to throwing a baseball for Penn State - will become his reward for hard work and for his commitment to the game he loves.