Teen Baseball Player from Tri-Valley Has Roots in Babe Ruth World Series

By Jane McInnis

A Danville teen is following in his father's footsteps, and he's wearing cleats.

Darren Funkhouser played in the first Babe Ruth World Series in 1980 in Jamestown, NY. He was 13. Over thirty years later, it’s no surprise he’s excited to see his son, Robbie, face the same opportunity.

Robbie, 13, is the starting center field player for Tri-Valley’s 13-Year-Old Babe Ruth All-Star team. Thursday night, Robbie and his team face the Woodland league for the state championship. 

“It’s something honestly I’ve dreamt about since Robbie started playing baseball,” Funkhouser said.

Robbie’s dad isn’t the only family member who has played in the Babe Ruth World Series—his uncle Dean also competed in 1986. Both his father and uncle played for teams from Salem, Ore.

[Read more about the team's State Championship Game.]

Robbie started playing tee-ball when he was 5, and today he plays alongside teammates he has known since then.

Robbie credits his father for his talent for baseball.

“He taught me everything that I know. We work on hitting in the back yard and he keeps me playing good,” Robbie said.

If the team wins Thursday, they’d go on to play for the Pacific South West tournament in Vernal, Utah with chances to ultimately snag a spot at the Babe Ruth World Series in North Dakota in August.

Robbie attends Valley Christian School in Dublin. He isn’t nervous about Thursday’s game.

“I feel good and confident. As long as we can get our bats going—‘cause our pitching is good,” he said.