Kody Funderburk was a young baseball player with a dream of playing baseball at the highest level possible when he first became a student at Mesa Community College.
Today, Kody is a left-handed relief pitcher with the Minnesota Twins, having been selected in the 15th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft.
As a Thunderbird, Kody pitched 23 games and in 75.2 innings for a 4.76 Earned Run Average and a 1.72 Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched. He also hit in 113 games, totaling 12 Home Runs and 86 Runs Batted In on his way to a .369 Batting Average, a .465 On-Base Percentage, and a .589 Slugging Average.
The 2017 season was a meaningful one as he was named a National Junior College Athletic Association Division II First Team All-American, First Team All-Conference, and First Team All-Region selection. He was also an Arizona Community College Athletic Conference/Region I, DII first team selection. Following two seasons with the Thunderbirds, Kody transferred to Dallas Baptist University and continued working toward his goal of playing professional baseball.
Today, Kody is proud of his accomplishments on the field but most meaningful to him is the growth that occurred off the field. He said that playing MCC baseball taught him the importance of preparation, consistency, accountability, and a sense of competition in an environment where he gained confidence while learning that success is about more than individual statistics.
Kody credits MCC as an important part of his journey, as a baseball player and as a person, learning what it means to compete, work, and believe in himself.
He believes that community college baseball gave him an opportunity to develop the skills needed to make his dream come true.