China’s Menghuan Zhou pitches her team back among the elite, eyes a bright future

China faced a decisive doubleheader to close the Opening Round of the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup, needing two wins against Canada and Chinese Taipei to reach the Super Round. Head coach Weigang Huang handed the ball to his ace, Menghuan Zhou — and the right-hander delivered two brilliant performances, pitching China back into the world’s top four.

“Before today’s games, I didn’t feel very well,” Zhou admitted through an interpreter. “But when I stood in the circle, and all the other players, both on defence and offence, gave me a lot of support, then I settled down and played better and better. That’s what led to the result in the end.”

Across the two games, Zhou earned complete-game victories, striking out eight over 11 innings to send China to the Super Round. It marks a milestone for Chinese softball: the program hasn’t reached the top four of a World Cup since 2010, when the senior team finished fourth in Caracas, Venezuela. Their last medal dates back more than 30 years, to a silver in St. John’s in 1994. When asked about that long wait, Zhou’s reply was short and powerful: “We are back.”

This breakthrough comes after a demanding year of preparation. China hosted the Group Stage last year in Pingtan and followed with an extended training camp at home. “During a long camp like this there are a lot of difficulties you need to face,” Zhou explained. “Sometimes the conditions are not really good, and you cannot control the ball well. But during the whole camp, the head coach and pitching coach helped me a lot. If there was a difficulty, we talked about how to face it and how to solve the problem. It was a long camp, away from family, but today we see the results of that effort.”

Now, Zhou and her teammates will battle over the next three days for a World Cup medal. Confidence is high. “I have strong confidence in our team, in my teammates and in all the members of the staff,” she said. “I think we can get into the top three of this event, at least.”

Despite her starring role, Zhou remains humble. “I’m only one more player. This is not a one-person game. I trust in the teamwork and my teammates,” she said.

Looking ahead, the Olympic Games loom as the ultimate dream. With LA28 on the horizon and Brisbane 2032 beyond, Zhou keeps her ambitions grounded. “Of course, the Olympics are the biggest dream for every player. But I’m still very young,” she said. “I will do my best and maybe I have a chance for LA28. But I believe I have more chances to be in Brisbane 2032.”