9-year-old friend remembers young Dauphin County baseball star who died suddenly after win
DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — Just one day after a championship win, a 10-year-old Dauphin County boy unexpectedly went into cardiac arrest and died.
The community is now rallying behind the family and friends of that young boy, Bryson Funk, following his sudden death.
Elias Vilfort, a 9-year-old friend of Funk and fellow baseball player, said he drew out “3s” in the infield at Koons Park in the different positions that Funk would often play. Funk wore #3 as a pitcher for his team, the Linglestown Colts.
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Vilfort said he was happy to watch Funk play as he took the mound and struck out the last batter to win the championship on Wednesday night.
“He would literally, like, do like a backflip to make a play or, like, slide in the muddy dirt, for like, act like it’s nothing. That’s what kind of player he kinda was,” Vilfort said.
That would be last time they’d ever watch #3 play.
“The next morning, my mom got a call saying that he was in the hospital,” Vilfort said. “I’m just still shocked that this happened, and I never even thought of this happening.”
Funk’s family said it’s not yet clear what exactly led to their son’s death, but he had been diagnosed with myocarditis—or inflammation of the heart—before going into cardiac arrest the day after his team’s win.
Vilfort is now left only with the memories they shared, like collecting baseball cards, going to Hersheypark and playing ball.
“He loved my dad’s cooking, yeah. So that made us feel like he was part of our family, too. It made us feel like he was a part of two families,” Vilfort said.
Despite their closeness, Vilfort said the two of them had only played for the same team once before.
This past weekend would have given them another chance, with Funk playing as #24 and Vilfort #5 for the All-Star team.
“We didn’t win the tournament, but we’re definitely gonna win all the rest for him,” Vilfort said.
He also said many people have donated baseball cards to add to Funk’s collection.
Vilfort and Funk’s father are expected to sort through them together.