Trenton Farrow traded in his baseball bat and glove for a set of golf clubs a few years ago, and the switch has paid real dividends for the Lake Wales High senior.

Last Wednesday morning, Farrow signed a scholarship to play golf at nearby Webber International.

“When I was a sophomore, I never thought I’d get a scholarship. I was struggling just to get a spot on the team,” Farrow said of his development at Lake Wales. “I got lessons after my sophomore year and I knocked 10 strokes off my game. It helped me tremendously.”

Farrow caught the attention of Webber coach Nancy Nichols.

“We’ve been able to watch him for a few years now,” Nichols said. “We like to recruit local golfers. The transition for him will be smooth.”

Webber’s men’s golf team is ranked No. 11 in the NAIA.

“I’m pretty sure that is the highest we have ever gotten,” noted Nichols. “We have a group of five guys who have separated themselves from the rest of the team, but everyone is pressing them.”

The Warriors have had a very impressive fall season, as they are now gearing up for the “real season” this spring. WIU received 306 points on the poll and were only 8 points behind the No. 10 team, British Columbia.

“We had a great fall season, the guys worked extremely hard, and now it is all about being ready to come out hot in the spring and making sure we do all the right things in order to qualify for nationals.” Nichols added.

The Warriors are the highest nationally ranked team in the very competitive Sun Conference.

The Warriors next competition is the Eastern Florida Titan Invitational at Suntree Country Club in Melbourne. The dates are Feb. 3 and 4.

Farrow isn’t the first Highlander to choose Webber. Chris Rowland is a sophomore on the golf team. Frostproof’s Justin Hewitt is also a member of the Warriors.

“Chris was a friend of mine. He was always there for me,” Trenton noted Farrow’s parents are glad he decided to stay close to home.

“I think he’ll be a good fit there,” said Tammy Farrow. “I’m happy about it.”

“I’m surprised because he converted to golf just three years ago,” Lamar Farrow added. “He’s going to commute, and I’m sure that will make his mother happy.”

Farrow is the first to sign on a golf team that qualified for the state tournament this year.