A very strong showing at the plate, in the field and on the mound, capped off by his first career home run, propelled U13 South Central Cubs star Graydon Funk to being named Player of the Month for June.
"I just love baseball," the Morden product says with a smile. "I fell in love with the sport really early. I practiced a lot and I just fell in love with it. I grew up playing it a lot. I practiced a lot at home until I got to U11, then I could get into the more competitive stuff, which I really like."
Getting into sports came pretty naturally for Funk, who says he gets that from his family. "I come from a sporty family. It's been hockey and baseball a lot and I just found baseball, and I grew up loving it."
At U11, Funk says becoming a part of a team has made a huge difference for him. "It was nice to have those great coaches around me, and we had a great group. Getting to play with other kids, being competitive, but also having fun, it was just a great organization."
Funk says being both a pitcher and shortstop has pushed him to develop his arm strength, especially at short. "It takes a lot of practice. I go throughout the winter, I'm always working. It can be a grind, but I put my whole heart into it."
Having a strong arm is very important but Funk also believes that the mental side is just as important, being in good position and reading balls of the bat. "It takes a lot of routine," he says humbly. "Lots of reps in practice so when it comes to me in a game, I know exactly what to do. It's pretty amazing how good the professional shortstops can be at taking those balls so routinely and making things look easy."
The star athlete made things look pretty easy at times throughout the month of June as Funk was named Player of the Month and he says there are a few areas of his game that stood out. "I had a really great month. Started out with a couple really strong games early with the bats and some great pitching games. It was awesome to keep that momentum up for the entire month. It was pretty great."
His incredible month was highlighted by a career first for Funk, an achievement he had been waiting for. "I hit my first ever career home run. That was really special, it felt really good. I was waiting and waiting for my first home run, so it finally came."
Funk details what it was like to hit that career first dinger. "At first contact, you cannot feel the ball off the bat, it was just hit so perfectly off the barrel. I didn't know it was gone at first. As I was rounding first base, I was trying to figure it out because I didn't know it was gone. I saw it land over and I just couldn't believe it."
Celebrating with his teammates made the moment even more special. "Oh, that was so awesome," he says with a proud smile. "To have a group of guys that not only celebrate their own success but celebrate the success of their teammates, it was awesome to have a close bond with the guys that are always there for you."
Coming off individual marks is great and Funk believes his group is ready to take that next step as a unit. "The game of baseball is a team effort and one guy can't win a season or take you anywhere, it takes a whole team with coaches and everyone. We want to keep growing."
Graydon Funk and the U13 South Central Cubs continue to put the work in as provincials get closer.