Fredonia’s softball star sat at a desk in the high school library Thursday surrounded by her support system. She smiled, laughed, playfully argued, and fought back tears throughout heartfelt speeches from those who have guided her along the journey that led to Lucas signing her letter of intent to play NCAA Division I softball at St. Bonaventure University upon her graduation from Fredonia High School next spring.

“It feels amazing, and I feel like I’m now showing people from our area that it is possible,” Lucas said. “Especially to the little girls who are coming up, I want to be an inspiration. If that’s your dream, make it happen. You can do it, it’s achievable.”

Lucas was flanked by her parents, Dana and Kevin, at the table while the library full of supporters shared stories of her career. Her older sister, Kelly, joined at the end of the table as she officially signed.

After Fredonia athletic director Greg Lauer, who is also Lucas’ neighbor, welcomed the crowd for the occasion, Lucas’ varsity head coach throughout her time at Fredonia, Jesse Beers, took his turn speaking to one of Fredonia’s all-time greats.

OBSERVER File Photo Fredonia senior Jordan Lucas signed to play NCAA Division I softball at St. Bonaventure.

“We tell our kids all the time, ‘You can’t be upset with the results that you didn’t get for the work that you didn’t do.’ Jordan, you have put in the work. There’s no question about it, you have earned every award, every accolade, every piece of success that you’ve gotten,” Beers said to his star pitcher. “… Everything that you’ve earned, including the right to play Division I softball, is 100% yours. You’ve done that.”

To the recollection of those in attendance, Lucas is the first Division I softball signing Fredonia’s softball program has produced. The accomplishment is another of many to add to her resume.

Last season, Lucas was named to the All-State Third Team in Class B, and also earned the Pitcher of the Year award in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 West.

Lucas pitched 115 1/3 innings, with 237 strikeouts while allowing just 50 hits. She registered a 1.34 ERA. At the plate, Lucas hit .477 with eight doubles, a triple and two home runs, while scoring 27 runs.

In the postseason, Lucas threw three straight shutouts to win the Section VI Class B2 championship. Her postseason run began with a no-hitter, along with a home run at the plate, in an 11-0 quarterfinal victory over No. 7 Royalton-Hartland. She followed that up by throwing a perfect game in a 3-0 semifinal win over No. 3 Falconer.

“I honestly didn’t know I had a perfect game until it ended,” Lucas said of her semifinal performance.

Lucas then won the sectional title by throwing a one-hitter in a 12-0 win over No. 4 Akron 12-0. Fredonia’s season later ended in the Class B crossover game at Grand Island Senior High School against the Iroquois Chiefs with a 9-4 loss on May 30.

“You’re not always going to win, but you’re always going to learn from your mistakes. That’s what makes us not robots,” Lucas said. “… It’s all about growth. I know that I’m never going to be perfect, but I’m always going to keep working hard to keep getting better and better.”

Starting around age 10, already a standout softball player in Little League while playing for her father, Kevin, on District Championship-winning teams, Lucas began to dream of playing at the top level of collegiate softball. She studied the elite players in the world, like Jennie Finch and Monica Abbott, on YouTube to model her technique.

“I just set my mind to it and I never wavered. I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do. Even when it was one step forward and three steps back, I knew I had to keep going because it was exactly what I wanted,” Lucas said.

Lucas initially considered heading south to play collegiately, but after years of traveling across the United States on national travel softball teams, there was something appealing about staying close to home. Signing at St. Bonaventure, just over an hour away from Fredonia, provided Lucas’ supporters an opportunity to witness the next stage of her career in person much more often than if she chose a program out of state.

“After traveling a lot with my travel team, I just really missed home. All my family is here,” Lucas said. “… (St. Bonaventure) only being an hour away, I know they are going to be there as my rally fans cheering me on when I’m on the field.”

Still, playing at St. Bonaventure awards Lucas plenty of opportunities to travel, as the Atlantic 10 Conference spans across the eastern portion of the U.S., where she will also be given a chance to compete against conference rival-to-be Haleigh Dellow, of Westfield Academy, who is currently competing at George Mason University in Virginia. Lucas is also excited to pursue an academic career in the psychology field.

“This was the fit for me,” Lucas said.

Lucas proclaimed herself as her own harshest critic, but it was one of her club softball coaches, Jamey Persinger, who stressed the importance of enjoying herself as much as she critiques her performances.

“As I’ve said to you from day one, if you’re going to get mad at every ball you throw, you better celebrate every strike. You can’t have it one way and not the other,” Persinger said.

Lucas has taken that message to heart.

She wasn’t just dominant in the circle and a leader at the plate. Lucas has also consistently brought a level of confidence along with her performance that is rare among young athletes. Lucas was never shy, from singing and dancing in the circle at a crossover game to screaming after striking out a batter in a Dunkirk-Fredonia rivalry game. She has always let her personality shine through, alongside her greatness.

“Living through high school, I just knew that some people change themselves for other people, and I knew that was not going to be me. I don’t think you should have to change yourself to fit in,” Lucas said. “Be different, who cares? Be you. I learned that now as a senior, I don’t need to change myself.”