by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News June 9, 2025
A boy who goes by the name Marissa dominated the Minnesota girls state softball tournament.
Junior pitcher Marissa Rothenberger, a biological male who says he's a girl, pitched all 21 innings across three games as Champlin Park identified as state champions.
Rothenberger fired a three-hit shutout on Friday as No. 2-seeded Champlin Park routed No. 4 Bloomington Jefferson, 6–0, in the Class AAAA Minnesota high school girls’ softball championship game at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota.
Rothenberger’s tournament began with a complete-game shutout he threw in the quarterfinals against No. 7-seeded Eagan, allowing seven hits and striking out four in a 5–0 win. In the semifinals, Champlin Park edged No. 6 White Bear Lake, 3–2, behind another complete game from Rothenberger, who gave up two runs (one earned), struck out three and hit two crucial doubles — including one that led to the game-winning run in the seventh inning.
Including the 14 shutout innings that Rothenberger pitched in the sectional finals to help Champlin Park reach the state tournament, he allowed just two runs across 35 innings against his female opponents.
Champlin Park’s other pitcher, Ava Abrahamson, was listed as a designated player throughout the tournament but never entered as a pitcher.
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) allows student-athletes to compete in events based on gender identity, regardless of biological sex.
The father of a Jefferson player told Outkick: "It was tough, but what can you do? They're following the rules, whether we like it or not."
Another Jefferson father said: "It was disappointing. I give the other team credit: They hit the sh*t out of the ball. But you can't help but wonder how things could have gone with an equal playing field."
Minnesota is currently under a federal investigation for potential Title IX violations for refusing to comply with President Donald Trump's executive order which bans dudes from playing in girl's and women's sports.
"President Trump is protecting women in sports and restoring common sense. Those who choose to violate federal law will be held accountable," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in response to an inquiry on the situation in Minnesota.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against Trump's administration in April in an effort to protect its current gender eligibility policies.
The White House has previously addressed Ellison's lawsuit against Trump's Administration in a statement to Fox News Digital:
"Why would a grown man sue the Trump Administration to allow other biological males to participate in women’s sports? This is creepy and anti-woman," Fields said in April.
