Controversy Looms Over Minnesota Softball Tournament As Trans-Identifying Male Takes the Mound

As the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) girls’ softball tournament gets underway this week, all eyes are on Marissa Rothenberger, a trans-identifying male pitcher for Champlin Park High School.

Champlin Park, the No. 2 seed in the Class AAAA bracket, will face Eagan in the quarterfinals Tuesday. If they advance, they’ll compete in the semifinals on Wednesday and potentially the championship game on Friday. And OutKick will be there to report every step of the way.

OutKick will be on site at the Minnesota State High School League softball state tournament.

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Rothenberger, who was born male as "Charlie Dean," has competed on girls’ softball teams — both school and club — for years in Minnesota. According to court records obtained by Reduxx, Rothenberger’s mother petitioned to change her child’s legal sex marker on the birth certificate shortly after his ninth birthday. The request was granted, and a new certificate was issued — showing the child as "female."

That document change now enables Rothenberger to compete in the girls' category, despite policies at both the organizational and federal level that aim to prevent this situation from happening.

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This year, the NCAA adopted rules requiring female-only participation in women’s sports, following an executive order from President Donald Trump. USA Softball has the same policy. But in states like Minnesota, where residents can legally change their sex on identity documents, enforcing those eligibility requirements becomes nearly impossible.

And while neither of these organizations oversees the MSHSL, they are the next logical step for an elite high softball player.

In defiance of Trump's executive order, the MSHSL says eligibility for transgender athletes is determined by the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the state constitution. In practice, that means male athletes who identify as female can (and do) compete against girls.

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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has made his support for the trans activist movement clear, as has state Rep. Leigh Finke. Meanwhile, Female Athletes United has filed a lawsuit against the state and multiple school districts for allowing biological males to take part in girls’ sports — specifically pointing to Rothenberger’s case as a driving factor.

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This story is part of a larger national trend. In California, trans-identifying male AB Hernandez recently won two state titles (and one second-place finish) in track and field. In Washington, male athlete Verónica Garcia won the girls’ state championship in the 400-meter dash.

OutKick has covered these cases extensively and will be on the ground in Minnesota this week to report on what unfolds.

Because girls' sports matter. Fairness matters. And the public deserves to know what’s really happening on these fields.

Stay tuned.