Mike Smith Placed On Administrative Leave By Ole Miss

Ole Miss head softball coach Mike Smith was placed on administrative leave by the university late last week, multiple sources have confirmed.

Smith, who has been at the helm of the Rebel softball program since 2014, was also suspended for the first weekend of the 2019 campaign after an undisclosed violation took place.

A non-financial, external audit of the program is currently taking place at Ole Miss. In the meantime, Ruben Felix is serving as the program's interim head coach in Smith's absence.

"At this time we are conducting an external audit of our softball program, and Coach Smith has been placed on administrative leave until the conclusion of the audit," Ole Miss interim athletics director Keith Carter stated on Monday. "At this time it is a personnel matter and that's really all that we can share. We hope to complete this audit...our investigation...in a timely manner. Until we do, Coach Ruben Felix will lead the program until we get finished."

According to the Ole Miss Spirit, the audit is investigating "cultural" concerns related to the university's softball program. The investigation will reportedly involve interviews with players and coaches associated with the team.

Smith has guided Ole Miss to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances in his time with the program. The Rebels also won their first-ever SEC Tournament in 2017 under Smith's leadership.

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