BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Seeing Allie Funderburk and Hannah McFarland together on a softball field just seems so natural that it made perfect sense for the two Bradford High School seniors to be seated next to each other when they signed their letters of intent during a March 18 scholarship signing ceremony in the BHS media center.
“It’s special,” Funderburk said of the moment. “We grew up together.”
McFarland said, “We’ve played together since we were in middle school.”
They’ve played together — and are still playing together. Now they’ve signed together.
Funderburk, a shortstop, will be attending Waldorf University, located in Forest City, Iowa.
“It’s really exciting,” Funderburk said. “I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am now.”
McFarland, a center fielder, will be taking her talents to Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” McFarland said of accepting a scholarship to play ball. “Not many people get to have this opportunity.
Waldorf and Dakota State are approximately 1,300 miles and 1,500 miles away from BHS, but Funderburk and McFarland say they’re going to schools that’ll provide them with an atmosphere similar to what they enjoy at BHS and the surrounding area.
Funderburk said Forest City is a small town and added, “It just felt like family (at Waldorf).”
“It’s a small school,” McFarland said of Dakota State. “I didn’t want to go anywhere big. I mean, look at Bradford. Bradford’s not that big of a school. I wanted something small.”
McFarland said she was considering some other schools, adding that some doors closed during the process, but the door to Dakota State opened up.
“Everything happens for a reason. I didn’t think I’d go to South Dakota,” McFarland said, adding, “I’m just happy that I found my spot.”
That spot happens to be 236 miles away from where Funderburk will be going to school.
“We’re three hours from each other,” McFarland said. “We’re going to be pretty close.”
They’re scheduled to be on the same field next season as Dakota State and Waldorf will play each other.
“It’s going to be a fun game, that’s for sure,” McFarland said.
Funderburk batted .329 as a freshman, which ranked her fourth on the team. She had eight RBI.
After her sophomore season was cut short due to the pandemic, Funderburk batted .394 as a junior, driving in nine runs. Her batting average was third best on the team, while her six doubles tied her for the team lead.
Through the first five weeks of this season, Funderburk batted .542 (third best), with four doubles (tied for team lead) and eight RBI. She was second on the team in stolen bases with six.
“She always has a strong bat,” Bradford Head Coach Kaylan Taylor said. “When she comes up, she comes up clutch. She always does. You know she’s going to come through.
As a defensive player in the infield, Funderburk, since her freshman year, has an average fielding percentage of .894.
“She does a very good job managing that spot and getting us out of tight situations,” Taylor said, adding, “Allie strives to be the best that she can be. It really shows. She works hard, and she gives it her all. She never gives up. She’s a leader.”
Funderburk said she believes the strength of her game is her defense. She also said she’s not one to lose her composure when she’s playing in the field, which helps her teammates as well.
“I keep my head up,” Funderburk said. “I can talk the other girls up.”
Funderburk said she needs to get stronger on the offensive end, but Taylor believes she’s ready to succeed at the next level.
“I think she’ll fit right in,” Taylor said. “I think she’ll need some support from her family because she is going quite a long way away, but I think she’ll transition and succeed very easily.”
McFarland began her BHS career by being the Tornadoes’ leading batter her freshman year with a .397 average. She shared the team lead in RBI with 25 and hit a team-high seven doubles.
Following the COVID year, McFarland batted 3.94, which was third on the team in 2021. She shared the team lead in doubles with six and drove in nine runs.
Through this season’s first five weeks, she was second on the team with a .552 batting average. Her two triples led the team in that category. McFarland had eight RBI and shared the team lead in stolen bases with seven.
“She has a very strong bat,” Taylor said. She’s our two-hole hitter. She really holds that position down well. She comes up with runners on base usually. She does a very good job of moving them around and getting on base.”
Taylor said McFarland, whose fielding average since her freshman season is .963, makes plays that most outfielders don’t make.
“She makes those plays that are the difference in the game,” Taylor said.
The coach said McFarland is much like Funderburk.
“Hannah is a true leader. She also strives to be the best on the field,” Taylor said, adding, “She excels at everything she does.”
Taylor said she also sees McFarland, like Funderburk, having no trouble making that transition from high school to college. McFarland said she believes she needs to develop “more confidence, to be there and to help my team because I want to help my team as much as I can.”
McFarland said stepping onto the field for the first time as a college player will be a dream come true. Funderburk said, “It’ll probably be unreal.”
It’s a reality that wouldn’t have come about if not for countless hours of effort put forth by both players. That’s evident to the Tornadoes’ first-year head coach.
“I’ve seen how hard they work, even though it’s just been this season,” Taylor said. “They’ve worked so hard. To see them get to accomplish this goal is just an amazing experience for me.”
