T.J. Abshire is adjusting to life using a wooden bat. Figuring out life in Borger, Texas, may take a little longer.

The former third baseman and designated hitter at Lafayette High has signed with Frank Phillips Junior College in Borger, located north-northeast of Amarillo, which means Abshire will be miles and miles from anything familiar for the next couple of years.

“There’s nothing to do there, except go to school and play baseball,” Abshire said. “It’s a big adjustment, but maybe that’s what I need.”

Figure a leisurely drive to Dallas, and then double that, and you have the 12-hour trek to the panhandle.

Abshire got the chance to extend his baseball career when he was playing in a wooden bat tournament in Phoenix with Baseball Factory, an elite program based in Baltimore.

“I was doing real well in that tournament, and there was a coach who just happened by to watch our game,” Abshire recalled. “He started talking with my mom (Tanya), and my Baseball Factory coach, Rob Nadelman, helped me out a lot.

“Without Baseball Factory, I would not have gotten as many looks as I did. I remember the IBC World Series last year in Clearwater, Fla., at the Toronto Blue Jays spring training facility. I hit a home run there, and almost had back-to-back homers. I had a real fun time that week.”

What wasn’t so enjoyable was Abshire’s recovery from a right knee injury suffered as an LHS sophomore.

“Probably my biggest area of growth this last year has been my speed,” he said. “I’ve worked a lot on it. I blew out my knee my sophomore year, and I had to work twice as hard to get it back in shape.

“You really need your lower half to generate your power, so that was important. My coach (LHS’s Jay Domengeaux) pushed me really hard. It was hard sometimes. If it wasn’t for my coach and parents, I don’t know if I would have made it.”

Also a challenge was competition with Lions’ teammate Jonathan Foreman for third base at LHS. Foreman played there the most, earning a scholarship to Duke, while Abshire shifted to designated hitter as a senior.

“It was a real battle between us,” Abshire said. “My primary position is third base. That’s where I played for the Baseball Factory.”

As for wooden bats, much of it is in the grip.

“Nothing at all, except how to hold it,” Abshire said of the aluminum-wood difference. “With wood bats, you don’t want to hit the seal and break it. I went through five bats that day (in Phoenix). They kept jamming me on my hands.

“But my coach noticed, I pulled the next pitch and had a standup double. That’s when the scout saw me.”