Softball has been around since 1887 and started with 20 guys hitting a rolled up boxing glove with a broom handle to pass time.

Today it is played by more than 8 million women and girls in America alone. Softball has grown tremendously throughout the years with new equipment, better fields, and new organizations.

But what happens when an organization decides to stop supporting senior (8th-12th graders) girls? 

PLAY has offered in-house slow pitch softball for girls from kindergarten through high school seniors since 2014, but now they have decided that seniors are out.

As of December 14th, the PLAY executive board voted to get rid of the senior level and move them to the Burnsville softball program BAC.

While the real reason is unknown, PLAY has talked about wanting to only support sports through middle school. Because in-house slow pitch softball was the only sport in the organization that went up to the senior level they decided to cut it.

PLAY decided to move the seniors to Burnsville to match the baseball boys they moved to the same program years before.

However, I have concerns because the boys senior levels simply don’t have Prior Lake teams anymore. The boys who wanted to continue with in-house baseball now play with Burnsville kids and in Burnsville jerseys. 

An interview with former Assistant In-House Softball Director Coach Rob Anderson addressed his concerns with moving the Prior Lake girls to BAC.

He has been coaching softball for 7 years and has built connections with all of his girls. I have been with him since I was in middle school, and he has helped me thrive in softball.

Anderson has helped with clinics, coaching hundreds of girls from all over the South Metro League. He took on the new Assistant In-House Softball Director position in 2023 to help improve the In-House slowpitch program. 

The biggest concern of the Prior Lake girls with moving to BAC is what happened with the boys baseball, complete integration into the Burnsville teams.

My fear is that I would have to play with Burnsville girls and wear Burnsville jerseys. I have played with roughly the same girls for 5 years and staying together is important to all of us.

Anderson has also voiced this concern. The sticking point? “We have to have Laker jerseys.” 

Anderson has been fighting to improve softball since he started as the Assistant In-House Softball Director, and he won’t stop now. The biggest issue of this decision is the lack of communication between the PLAY board and the slow-pitch families.

On November 23rd, the PLAY Executive Board had the annual review meeting where they discussed each program. While many question the decision, the vote was taken to make the change. 

Always an advocate, Anderson has been super transparent with families about the process of playing through Burnsville and has been talking with the PLAY board throughout the process. 

Even though the Executive Board has been keeping things behind lock and key, Anderson has been bringing things out to the public to get support from families.

He asked for families and girls to send the PLAY board representatives emails to express how important this program has been for them or their children and has been met with overwhelming support.

Anderson shared with me, “I saw 20 different emails and they were all some of the best worded messages of support and true care and question. Every single one of them, they all had something unique.” 

Playing softball through BAC will feel a little different, but there has been assurance to Prior Lake girls that we will play with Prior Lake girls and jerseys and we will play on Prior Lake fields.

Burnsville has been very helpful and willing to find a way for Prior Lake girls to keep playing softball with their teams. With the registration process, there was a requirement to put what city we were from and which coach we would prefer.

This was done to ensure that the Prior Lake girls stay together. Those I have talked to from my team and I all agree that this change, while not wanted, will work out.

Thanks to the interview with coach Rob Anderson, my concerns have been addressed, and I’m excited for the 2026 softball season to start.