An athlete at the center of a growing controversy delivered a one-hit shutout Wednesday night as Champlin Park softball defeated Maple Grove 2-0—marking the Crimson’s first scoreless game of the season.
Marissa Rothenberger, a junior pitcher for the Rebels, struck out seven batters and allowed just one hit over seven innings.
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.
Surprising stats
The Crimson entered the game averaging over six runs per contest and batting .364 as a team, according to local commentator Dustin Grage.
“Maple Grove came into this game batting .364 and averaging 6+ runs per game—but managed just one hit against Rothenberger, a biological male,” Grage wrote on X. “It’s the first time Maple Grove has been shut out all season.”
🚨 MORE CONTEXT: Maple Grove (#7 in the state) came into this game batting .364 and averaging 6+ runs per game—but managed just one hit against Rothenberger, a biological male.
It’s the first time Maple Grove has been shut out all season. https://t.co/qcqtBZLJuE
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) May 7, 2025
Father of softball player voices frustration
An anonymous father of a Maple Grove softball player told Alpha News that Rothenberger’s physical development since last season was striking.
“From a physical standpoint, the most obvious characteristic is how much he grew from last year. Much taller, longer arms, greater muscular structure,” he said of Rothenberger, who stands six feet tall.
“The pitches are faster and definitely much more movement on the ball. He has a pitch that drops a few inches, so the hitters end up swinging right through it or ground out. This movement on pitches is what sets him apart from my perspective.”
He said Rothenberger’s endurance on the mound also raised questions about fairness.
“Another very important characteristic is that he got stronger as the game progressed. Females will tend to ‘run out of gas’ toward the later innings, lose a little speed and get sloppy with their control. The opposite happened with Rothenberger.”
The father said frustration is common among parents.
“Everyone is aware he is a biological male, so yes, there is frustration among most of the parents. I can’t speak for everyone, but those that I’ve spoken to agree it is not fair,” the father claimed.
He believes the lack of transparency from officials has compounded the issue.
“To this point, everyone in the softball community is being informed through word of mouth or over the internet, social media, and articles,” he said. “We have the evidence of the birth certificate modification and the obvious physical and performance characteristics that everyone can see firsthand, but no official announcement or addressing of the issue from official sources [like] coaches, ADs, and school administrators. The girls know the truth, but the adults act like nothing is happening.”
“In my view, this has an adverse psychological impact on the girls and feeds the narrative that this is fair and OK. Almost as if to shift the burden onto the girls to accept this as normal—and if you don’t, you are the problem.”
He called what he sees as a lack of action from the Minnesota State High School League and school officials “a blatant dereliction of responsibility.”
“It proves they are anti-democratic and have a political agenda to target young female athletes because they know the general nature of females is to obey authority and not push back,” he argued.
“When officials support this deception, they themselves become the problem,” he added.
The Anoka-Hennepin School District previously declined to comment specifically on Rothenberger, citing data privacy laws, but said that all Champlin Park athletes meet eligibility requirements under Minnesota State High School League rules and state law.
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.
