CLINTON, Miss. --- Mississippi College Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Performance Michael Shumaker is currently serving as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Chinese National Softball Team, who is currently competing for a spot in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

"This has been an unbelievable opportunity that I don't think I exactly saw coming," said Shumaker. "It has been an interesting and wild ride to get to this point, but I am so grateful that Cory (Myers) thought enough of me to go on this journey with the Chinese National Softball Team."

Myers, the former assistant softball coach at Auburn University, was tabbed by Team China to lead their softball team as they attempted to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. Shumaker worked withMyers and his dad, Clint, when he served as an assistant strength and coniditioning coach on "The Plains", working with the softball program.

Talks began in the Summer of 2018 for Shumaker to take the position, and he has split time traveling for face-to-face training sessions, as well as, FaceTime training sessions when his responsibilities in Clinton did not allow him to make the trip to the training center in Florida.

"We are so proud of the way Shu has represented Mississippi College in his work with the Chinese National Softball Team," said Athletic Director Mike Jones. "He has made an unbelievable impact on our student-athletes in his time in Clinton, and I know he is doing the same for Team China."

Since the Fall of 2018, Shumaker has been back and forth between his responsibilities with Team China and with the Choctaws, but his family has been a major source of support throughout the entire experience.

"Being part of a coach's family, you watch them pour their time, energy and heart into athletes day-in and day-out," said Shumaker's wife, Edie. "When Michael received the call to be on the coaching staff for Team China, we were overjoyed. Seeing your husband's dreams come true before your eyes is an amazing thing. Being a part of a National Team is the highest honor for the sporting world.

"It has been amazing to see relationships form even through language barriers, not only with Michael and the ladies of Team China, but with our kids (Rhylynn and Evers), as well. We have made friends for life."

The Chinese National Softball Team is currently playing in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Asia/Oceania Softball Qualifier in Shanghai with the winner of the 8-team tournament going to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

"I'm really excited an proud of this team," Coach Shu, as he is so lovingly called on the Clinton campus, went on. "They have shown extreme fight and a will to win. They came from behind in each of the first two games and picked up a big win today to advance to the Super Round."

The team opened the tournament with an 8-3 win over New Zealand on Tuesday before beating Philippines on Wednesday by the same score. Early Thursday morning (Central Time), they closed out Opening Round Play with a 2-1 win over Korea to keep them unbeaten and qualify for the Super Round.

They are scheduled to play Chinese Taipei at 2:00 AM (Central) on Friday before playing Australia on Saturday at 2:00 AM (Central). The top team following the Super Round will advance to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

For more information on the WBSC Asia/Oceania Softball Qualifier, visit the official website HERE.
 

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and began competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.

The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.

For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.