MCC baseball alumni makes MLB debut

Thursday, August 31, 2023 - 1:00 p.m. | Dylan DeVlieger

MCC baseball alumni Kody Funderburk made his MLB debut on Tuesday night for the Minnesota Twins.

Funderburk called himself a Thunderbird from 2015-17.  He had an 8-6 record, striking out 62 batters. Not only was Funderburk a solid pitcher for MCC baseball, but his offense also helped in a big way. In his two seasons at Mesa, Funderburk had a .369 batting average, drove in 86 runs, scored 72 runs, and hit 12 home runs.

Funderburk was drafted in the 15th round in 2018 by the Twins out of Dallas Baptist. Funderburk worked through Minnesota's farm system until he got the call that he was heading to The Show on Aug. 28.

That same night, Funderburk came in and pitched the 5th and 6th innings where he shut down the Cleveland Guardians, retiring all six batters he faced, striking out three. The former Thunderbird even picked up the win, making him the 22nd Twins pitcher to earn a win in his major league debut.

Click here to view Kody Funderburk's profile while he was at Mesa Community College.