For the first time in program history, Champlin Park High School is heading to the state softball tournament after shutting out the defending state champions in back-to-back games behind the arm of junior pitcher Marissa Rothenberger — a reportedly biological male competing in girls’ sports.
The Rebels will open state tournament play in the quarterfinals on June 3 at Caswell Park in Mankato.
The Rebels (21-2) defeated Rogers 1-0 in Thursday’s Class 4A, Section 5 championship, completing a 14-inning shutout stretch in back-to-back games this week that sent shockwaves through Minnesota high school athletics and social media.
NEW: Biological male Marissa Rothenberger pitches a shutout to advance to the Class 4A softball state tournament in Minnesota.
Rothenberger “changed” genders at age nine and now towers over the female competition.
The trans player demolished the defending champs in… pic.twitter.com/8tVGMwh2LK
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 30, 2025
Star Tribune touts Rothenberger’s ‘superb pitching’ in since-deleted post
The Star Tribune posted a story with a photo of Rothenberger mid-victory — running with a subheadline praising “a superb pitching performance from junior Marissa Rothenberger.”
The article made no mention of Rothenberger’s reported status as a biological male, the very issue fueling statewide controversy.
The post was later quietly scrubbed from the paper’s social media.
🚨 UPDATE: The Minnesota Star Tribune has scrubbed this story from all of their socials.
Major vibe shift. https://t.co/HyvArkcafU pic.twitter.com/cKFrcCQBZ8
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) May 30, 2025
Report: Legal records reveal childhood name change
As previously reported by Alpha News, court records show Rothenberger’s legal name and sex were changed in 2017, when the athlete was just nine years old, according to a recent report from Reduxx.
The Hennepin County District Court granted a petition filed by Rothenberger’s mother, changing the name from “Charlie Dean” to “Marissa” and the sex designation to female, the report said.
Rothenberger’s leading of Champlin Park’s dominant run has rekindled the debate over the Minnesota State High School League’s (MSHSL) transgender athlete policy.
Lawsuit filed over transgender athlete policy
Alpha News reported earlier this month that Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court on behalf of three high school girls, accusing Attorney General Keith Ellison, the MSHSL, and other state officials of violating Title IX by allowing biologically male athletes to compete in girls’ sports.
“Minnesota is failing its female athletes. The state is putting the rights of males ahead of females,” said ADF Legal Counsel Suzanne Beecher. “By sacrificing protection for female athletes, Minnesota fails to offer girls equal treatment and opportunity, violating Title IX’s provisions.”
The lawsuit also names Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero, Education Commissioner Willie Jett, and the Anoka-Hennepin, Farmington, and Osseo school boards as defendants.
Plaintiffs detail impact on competition and safety
According to the complaint, the three plaintiffs—members of Female Athletes United—say they’ve been directly affected by having to compete against Rothenberger.
One was struck by a pitch during a club game and claims the pain was more intense due to the athlete’s male strength.
Another said her team lost a postseason game last year to Rothenberger and was again held scoreless in a rematch this season.
A third, a pitcher committed to play college softball, left a team after learning she would have to compete against a male player for pitching time.
The MSHSL policy, adopted in 2015, allows students to participate in sports based on self-identified gender. It contains no physical benchmarks or restrictions related to biological sex, which the lawsuit argues undermines fairness and safety in girls’ competition.
The lawsuit asks the court to declare the policy unconstitutional and in violation of Title IX, and to prohibit male athletes from competing in girls’ sports statewide.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
