Mike Smith

Ole Miss softball head coach Mike Smith has been placed on administrative leave pending what has been described as a non-financial, external audit of the program.

Smith was placed on leave Friday. Assistant head coach Ruben Felix is serving as the interim head of the program until the external audit is completed.

The Spirit spoke with Ole Miss interim athletics director Keith Carter about the situation on Monday.

"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," said Carter. "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."

Carter provided no additional details about the suspension. Sources, however, have told the Ole Miss Spirit the audit centers around "cultural" concerns associated with the program and that players and staff will be interviewed during the investigative process.

A call to Smith's cell phone Monday was not immediately returned.

Smith was suspended for the opening weekend of the 2019 season for an undisclosed violation by then athletics director Ross Bjork.

Smith became the fifth head coach of the Ole Miss softball team on May 29, 2014, taking a bottom-tier program and turning it into a national contender. He has guided Ole Miss to four consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and Super Regional appearances two of the last three seasons.

Ole Miss finished ranked No. 15 in the nation last season and returns the nucleus of that team for the 2020 season.