The Mankato Peppers and a select group of youth softball organizations in Southern Minnesota have partnered with Softball Australia to bring World Class Softball to Minnesota. The new partnership is one in which Softball Australia will participate in the National Professional Fastpitch league as the Aussie Peppers of Minnesota as they prepare to qualify for the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan.

Southern Minnesota has long been a "hot bed" for fastpitch softball. Highly competitive fastpitch teams such as Happy Chef, Junkers,  Minnesota State University Softball, Bethany Lutheran College Softball, Gustavus Adolphus College Softball, Mankato Peppers, as well as the Minnesota State High School Tournament, and Caswell Park have all contributed to make Southern Minnesota a regional, national, and now globally known area for the sport of fastpitch softball.