Tue May 20 11:10:00 UTC 2025: **Oregon Mom Speaks Out After Softball Coaches Accuse 11-Year-Old Daughter of Being Too Old**

**ASTORIA, OR** – An Oregon mother is demanding accountability after two opposing softball coaches were caught on camera aggressively questioning her 11-year-old daughter’s age during a game on May 11. Tracy Burchfield’s daughter, Brinley Stephens, was playing for the Astoria Future Fish when the coaches confronted her on the field, demanding to see her birth certificate and threatening to halt the game.

According to Burchfield, the coaches’ actions left her daughter, a fifth-grader who stands nearly 5’10”, in tears. “I was holding back my tears because I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s out there by herself. There’s these two adults confronting her,'” Burchfield recalled.

Brinley said she found the confrontation “scary,” and described the coach “coming at me.” While the 11 year old is accustomed to comments about her height, the experience was unlike anything she’d previously experienced.

Burchfield claimed the coaches continued inappropriate behavior after the game, making obscene gestures at parents. She reported the incident to the league association, hoping for disciplinary action.

According to ABC news, one assistant coach was suspended for the year, while another received a 10-day suspension and probation. Tournament organizers said they are also investigating. North American Fastpitch executive director Benjie Hedgecock stated that Brinley “did nothing wrong as she is just tall … and skilled for her age.”

The incident has resonated with other parents who have witnessed similar behavior in youth sports. Brian Barlow, creator of the Facebook page “Offside,” which calls out bad adult behavior at youth games, emphasized the importance of creating a supportive environment for children.

Burchfield hopes the incident will serve as a lesson in kindness and sportsmanship. “It doesn’t take much to hurt a kid that much and make them just stop believing in themselves,” she stated. “These kids deserve better. We as adults need to do better.”

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