Rachel Jones is back on the Pacheco school baseball team

The decision to ban 11-year-old Rachel Jones from playing on the Pacheco Middle School's baseball team has been reversed.

On March 3, after more than a week of practicing on Pacheco middle school's baseball team, Rachel and her family were informed that she could no longer be part of the team.

However, on Friday, March 20, Pacheco's athletic director Jason Rubin informed the sixth-grader and her mother that Rachel was back on the team.

Rachel's mom, Mary Ruggles had been rallying support to convince the athletic league to let her daughter play.

"Rachel has been playing this game for the better part of her life and she's fine to play. It's not that she's not skilled, so there's no reason she shouldn't be allowed to play on the team," Ruggles said.

Rachel's story got the attention of her school, her community and even a national girls baseball team director, who was interested in having Rachel play for her. Rachel's determination also kept the attention of the Shasta Athletic League that originally voted her off the team.

Ruggles said she didn't know it, but the athletic directors have been communicating back and forth since the first vote was made.

Pacheco athletic director Jason Rubin said he and his colleagues in the Shasta Athletic Board originally voted not to let Rachel play on the baseball team because they felt there was equal sports opportunities for boys and girls.

"We want to work together to do good things for kids," Rubin said.

The group decided to reconsider their original vote.

"After investigating it, it seemed like the right decision right now," he said. "I am very happy that the decision was modified."

Rubin told Rachel and her mom the news on Friday morning at school.

"She was great," mom Ruggles said. "She sat the in the office and smiled and thanked him, and as soon as we got out of the office she started jumping up and down and yelling, 'Mom, I'm back on the team!'"

"She is just so excited," Ruggles said.