There’s been a big change within the California Baptist University softball program, and it could be the first of many.
Head coach Mike Smith has been placed on administrative leave, a university spokesperson confirmed Monday night.
There is neither a timeline for his return or for finding a permanent replacement.
“CBU Athletics’ official statement at this time is that Mike Smith is on leave,” CBU sports information officer Daniel Cook said.
The news was first reported on Monday by D1softball.com.
Associate head coach Bill Baber will fill out the lineup card this weekend as the Lancers host Grand Canyon at John C. Funk Stadium for a three-game series starting Friday night.
CBU is 15-17 overall and has lost six of its last eight games. The Lancers have allowed more than six runs per game during the stretch.
Smith began his second stint at CBU in 2021. He previously led the Lancers to the 2009 NAIA national championship and is the program’s all-time wins leader.
Prior to re-joining CBU, Smith resigned as head coach from Ole Miss after what the university described as a “non-financial, external audit” of the softball program. He led the Rebels to their only two NCAA Super Regional appearances during his five seasons in Oxford, Miss. (2015-19)..
HIGHLANDERS ENTER PORTAL
UC Riverside sophomores Barrington Hargress and Kaleb Smith, and junior Nate Pickens have entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Hargress was the Big West’s Freshman of the Year in 2024, and ranked inside the nation’s Top 10 in scoring at 20.2 points per game this season for the Highlanders (21-13 overall), who accepted a bid to the NIT for the first time.
Smith, a 6-foot-9 swingman, averaged 11 points per game and 33 percent from 3-point range. The Damien High graduate was second on the team with 4.6 rebounds per game.
Pickens was fourth on the team in minutes and averaged 9.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and more than two assists per game.
MAKSIMOVA MAKES MARK
CBU senior Sofia Maksimova made the most of her second solo trip to the NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships.
The program’s only two-time NCAA qualifier in three events, Maksimova tied for 34th in Division I in the 50-yard freestyle in 22.16 seconds, placed 50th in the 100 butterfly in 53.78 seconds and was 74th in the 100 freestyle in 51.0 seconds last weekend at Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash.
A native of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, and a transfer student from Rutgers, Maksimova finishes her two-year career at CBU as a six-time Western Athletic Conference champion and holder of six Lancers records.
BRONCOS CAPTURE NCAA SPOTS
Six different individuals and one relay team posted NCAA provisional qualifying marks as the Cal Poly Pomona track and field team delivered a strong performance at UCLA’s Jim Bush Legends Meet and Bob Larsen Distance Carnival last weekend.
Senior Alessio Sommocal led the way by winning the 400-meter hurdles in 51.83 seconds, the fastest time in NCAA Division II this season.
Senior Nnamdi Onwaeze won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.13 seconds, followed closely by teammate Christian Baker (14.33). Both are qualifying times for the D2 West Regionals.
Senior Kailen Smith, a Chino Hills native, took first in the high jump with a mark of 2.11 meters. It’s the second best mark in Division II this season.
LA VERNE TOPS POMONA-PITZER
The La Verne University baseball team is on an unprecedented winning streak.
The Leopards are 18-1 and recently won their 16th consecutive game after a series sweep of Pomona-Pitzer last weekend.
The No. 6-ranked team in NCAA Division III, La Verne surpassed the previous record of 15 straight wins set by the 1995 team that went on to win the D3 national championship.
They take on No. 10 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in a three-game series starting Friday at Azusa Pacific University at 3 p.m. The final two games will be a doubleheader Saturday at Ben Hines Field in La Verne beginning at 11 a.m.
ODDS & ENDS
Cal State San Bernardino’s Jaida Jackson (Valley View High) reached 1,000 career points this season and was selected to the All-CCAA first team. Teammate Deannah Buckner (Los Osos High) was an honorable mention. … University of Redlands’s Mike Schmidt was selected the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division III West Region coach of the year. … Claremont-Mudd-Scripps senior Lucas Lang captured his second consecutive national title in the 1650-meter freestyle, winning in 15 minutes, 18.01 seconds at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Division Championship in Greensboro, N.C. on Saturday, March 22. … Riverside City College sophomore Michael Chang (Arlington High) is 12-2 this season as the Tigers’ No. 1 singles player.
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