No girls allowed: Bartow County teen booted from baseball team because of her gender

EMERSON, Ga. - High school baseball player Amanda Davison was abruptly booted from her team this week because of her gender.

Now, her male teammates on Excel Christian Academy’s baseball team are going to bat for her.

"She is our teammate, she’s our family," said player David Jinks. "I’ve been playing with her since Little League."

Davison said she has loved baseball since she was a little kid. It’s been her whole world.

This week, her world was turned upside down when her coach got a call from officials with the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools, or GAPPS.

Another team had complained that a girl was on the field – a violation of association rules.

"That’s really surprising, because I played all last year and nobody ever let me know that there were any issues," Davison said.

The president of GAPPS told FOX 5 in an email that she was able to play last season because they never realized she was on the team.

Excel Christian Academy (Supplied)

After that complaint, the association said they had to remove her from her undefeated team in the middle of the season.

"I feel like that’s not fair to any girl who wants to play because there’s no other sport offered," she said. "Baseball can be any person’s sport."

As it turns out, Excel is such a small school that baseball is currently the only sport offered.

GAPPS officials told FOX 5 that she could go to a neighboring participating school and sign up for softball or another sport in which girls are allowed.

But she’s a senior, the team’s undefeated, and she said she likes her teammates.

Excel Christian Academy (Supplied)

A former coach and teacher of hers thinks this is wrong.

"You’re playing hard and going to the practices. You are an athlete," said Ashley Phillips, who coached Amanda in basketball. "What’s the difference if you’re a male or a female?"

Ultimately, the association said it was the school’s fault for letting her play in the first place.

"It is not without sympathy for this young lady that she has found herself in a situation that she has no control over, nor did she purposely or knowingly violate any rule," the president of the association said in an email. "It is the responsibility of the school to assure that rules are followed."

The chief operating officer at Excel Christian Academy said it’s out of his hands.

"This is a decision made by GAPPS," said COO Jerry Haney in an email. "As a member in good standing, we must abide by it. "

Meanwhile, Amanda said she just wants to finish the season. It's her last chance to play for the team before she graduates.

And she still isn’t sure why her gender matters.

"It wouldn’t be fair. Just to cut me off in the middle of the season. And I’ve already played," she said. "I’ve already played last year."