The Champlin Park Rebels girls’ softball team controversially reached the Minnesota State Championship for the first time in history on Wednesday night – thanks in part to their transgender pitcher.
Marissa Rothenberger threw a complete game and then hit two doubles as the Rebels narrowly beat White Bear Lake 3-2 for their historic achievment.
‘She’s always clutch,’ Champlin Park coach Bryan Woodley was quoted as saying by TwinCities.Com. ‘I think she’s the best centerfielder in the state. She’s just a great all-around player.’
Rothenberger is biologically male. At nine, Rothenberger’s mother applied in district court to alter her child’s birth certificate after their ninth birthday, with the petition being approved, per Reduxx.
Rothenberger was issued a new birth certificate showing to be born female, switching their name from ‘Charlie Dean’ to Marissa.
Earlier on Wednesday, as per OutKick, the Rebels beat Eagen school 5-0, while parents of the losing team wore ‘Save Girls’ Sports’ t-shirts.
Minnesota high school softball player Marissa Rothenberger has made headlines in 2025
Champlin Park walks it off against White Bear Lake to advance to the Minnesota state championship game.
Marissa Rothenberger (not the batter here) had 2 doubles and pitched another complete game. pic.twitter.com/SMEpFAYtAA
— Amber Harding Snyder (@TheAmberHarding) June 4, 2025
‘I was pretty disappointed and frustrated,’ she told OutKick, who reported that she asked to keep her name to herself in order to protect her daughter.
‘I think we’ve seen this happen over and over again to our girls. You look online, and you see women transitioning to men, and they’re not dominating any of the men’s sports. You don’t see that.
‘But on the women’s side, you see it over and over again across the country. It’s super frustrating. I knew it was eventually going to happen to my daughter. I was sad to see it happen to her.’
Rothenberger appears to be referenced in a lawsuit against Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison filed in May.
The complaint, obtained by Daily Mail, claims a ‘male’ pitcher playing for Champlin Park’s girls team has created an unfair playing field for female rivals, who have been denied honors and opportunities as a result.’
A spokesman for Anoka-Hennepin school district declined to comment about Rothenberger to DailyMail in May, citing privacy rules. However, the school has released a general statement.
‘Throughout the entire season, and as the Rebels advance to the state tournament, it is important to note that all of the student athletes participating for the Champlin Park Softball team are eligible to compete in compliance with Minnesota State High School League rules and applicable state law,’ read the statement.
‘Due to data privacy laws, the District is not able to provide public comment regarding a specific student athlete. In addition, the District is named in an active lawsuit, which limits what information can be shared.’
President Donald Trump has been working to rid female sports from transgender athletes by signing an executive order threatening to withhold funding from any institution that violates the declaration.
Statistics on transgender participation in female sports aren’t comprehensive.
However, in December, NCAA President Charlie Baker testified that fewer than 10 are competing among 500,000 collegiate student athletes in the country.
