Scandal at CSUB Leaves Softball Team in Shambles, Felony Charges for Basketball Coach, and Athletic Director Ousted
The fallout from the stunning arrest of Cal State Bakersfield assistant men’s basketball coach Kevin Mays earlier this month has reached the school’s softball program, where a head coach currently on paid leave and her husband, a former assistant, believe they were made scapegoats as a cover-up for Mays’ wrongdoing, including an alleged relationship with a former softball player, Violet Salazar.
It has been six months since the coaches were suspended, and now parents and former teammates of Salazar are starting to speak out and voice their support for the softball coaches.
Salazar was a senior on the 2025 team and went viral on TikTok on March 11, 2025, when she voiced complaints about her treatment from head coach Letty Olivarez and her husband, James Davenport, an assistant coach on the team.
In the videos, Salazar accused Davenport of sexual assault, claiming he grabbed her body after showering, leaving a bruise. She claimed that the incident allegedly occurred in an empty locker room while her teammates were on the bus.
Olivarez was accused of body shaming and verbal abuse. Davenport strongly denied the allegations against him and his wife.
UCSB Athletics Director Kyle Conder placed Olivarez and Davenport on paid leave on March 25. However, the University’s investigation did not result in the termination of either coach.
Davenport’s contract expired on May 31, and Olivarez is still the head coach on paid leave. Her contract expires in July 2026, but her paid leave has been extended through November.
The social media videos have been deleted, and Salazar has transferred to Hampton University. A Hampton official and Salazar declined to comment, citing that the situation occurred at a different University.
Multiple members of the CSUB softball team, including Davenport, told Softball On SI that Mays and Salazar were involved in an ongoing relationship, claiming an investigation into the softball coaches was launched as a distraction to draw attention away from the two.
On Sept. 8, Mays was arrested and faced 11 criminal charges, including felony charges related to pimping and pandering, the possession of illegal firearms, including that of an assault weapon, and the possession of methamphetamine and marijuana for purposes of sale.
Police say their investigation into the 32-year-old began in August after an anonymous tip claimed a woman was being trafficked across California, Oregon, and Washington. Detectives located the victim in Sacramento, where she identified Mays as her alleged trafficker.
The Bakersfield Police Department said they connected Mays and the victim through traffic stops, rental car records, and multiple online ads. Officers served a warrant on Sept. 4, arresting Mays and searching his car and apartment, where they reported finding loaded, unregistered guns, narcotics, $4,400 in cash, and other evidence of drug sales.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office also added two felony counts for the possession of child pornography. Bakersfield police investigators say they discovered over 3,000 files encrypted on cloud storage accounts belonging to Mays. No one else has been charged while the investigation continues.
Today, our office filed additional criminal charges against Kevin Mays, assistant basketball coach at CSUB. Those charges include two felony counts for the possession of child pornography with enhancements for possessing more than 600 images. pic.twitter.com/oMauF0OlVw
— Kern County District Attorney (@KernCountyDA) September 12, 2025
Parents of 18 of the 21 players on the 2025 roster sent an email in April 2025 calling for “the immediate reinstatement of Coaches Leticia Olivarez and James Davenport.”
Doug Munsey, whose daughter, Karissa, was a senior on the 2024-25 team, was one of the parents who emailed Conder on April 3.
Munsey’s email, which was obtained by Softball On SI, stated that his daughter, Karissa Munsey, had two meetings with Emily Poole Callahan, the school’s Associate Vice President for Student Affairs & Strategic Enrollment Management and Dean of Students for Student Integrity and Well-Being, and “gave her testimonial of the situation, which went against Violet’s allegations.”
“She was told by Mrs. Poole Callahan that her story seemed rehearsed,” Munsey continued. “Karissa told her that the truth, regardless of who tells it, will sound the same because it’s the truth. Mrs. Poole Callahan dismissed everything that my daughter told her and what the other players told her that contradicted Violet.”
In response, Conder reassured Munsey that his concerns would be addressed.
“The university is reviewing information related to the softball program,” Conder stated in an email dated April 7, 2025. “This due diligence is a formal process that involves several campus partners. It is important that the university completes a fair and thorough review. The health and safety of our student-athletes is a top priority.”
Munsey also told Conder that he would be available to talk in person when Lori Blodorn, Vice President, People and Culture, responded.
“I assure you that Ms. Poole Callahan and I are working very hard to ensure that we get to what is true, regardless of where those facts take us.”
Munsey told Softball On SI in a phone interview on Monday that he felt like his and his daughter’s concerns were not taken seriously. His daughter is no longer at Bakersfield.
Davenport, the former coach who did not get his contract renewed, also felt like the concerns he brought to the athletic department about illegal activity were dismissed.
“They thought I was full of it,” Davenport added. “Right off the bat, they defended Kevin and Violet.”
Poole Callahan, Blodron, and Boschini were assigned to interview Davenport and others who raised concerns, but Davenport believes those confidential discussions were allegedly leaked to Salazar.
“Every time we had a meeting with Emily (Poole Callahan) and Lori (Blodron) and Debbie (Boschini, Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs), like the very next day, it would get back to Violet and she would post a TikTok video about what we talked about,” Davenport said. “How would she know when it was supposed to be confidential? I didn’t tell nobody.”
Davenport mentioned to Softball On SI that he felt like Conder and former Deputy Athletics Director Susan Vollmerhausen were the only administrators who truly listened and validated his and the team’s concerns.
Softball On SI reached out to Poole Callahan for comment multiple times and didn’t receive a response. Vollmerhausen no longer works at CSUB.
A second parent, who requested anonymity due to death threats their family has already received from Salazar, told Softball On SI that their daughter ended up in a vehicle with Salazar and Mays on multiple occasions while they completed drug deals and attempts at human trafficking.
“It was 100 percent going on and my daughter witnessed it,” the parent continued. “I was aware of it earlier than others and said something to the coaches, and I believe they said something to admin.”
Davenport confirmed that he told Boschini, Blodorn, and Poole Callahan of the incident.
One former player, who spoke with Softball On SI anonymously due to similar death threats from Salazar if she “snitched,” also detailed the relationship between Salazar and Mays, stating that they tried recruiting multiple teammates to wire money for them.
Roping the softball coaches in was puzzling for Salazar’s former teammate. She didn’t understand why they were the targets and is disappointed that the university didn’t look into Salazar further.
“It doesn’t make sense. What do the softball coaches have to do with any of this?” she continued. “We’ve all been saying the main reason why they pointed at the softball coaches was to take everything off of them. Even when she (Salazar) posted the videos, her storyline doesn’t make any sense.
“At CSUB, they automatically go to the coaches and assume it’s the coaches’ fault, instead of looking into the players,” the anonymous player stated. “Violet was a well-known girl over there at CSUB, but everyone knew her because of what her business was; it wasn’t a secret.”
The dominoes continue to fall in Bakersfield.
— Cole Amundson (@playformarch) September 25, 2025
This month, 11 criminal charges were filed against CSUB’s former assistant, Kevin Mays. Then their AD, Kyle Conder, stepped down. Now, Barnes steps down.
We’ll have to see if these are all related. A concerning trend, nonetheless. https://t.co/NTZDabRrWS
The investigation in Bakersfield is ongoing, and the fallout has resulted in the departure of Conder.
In an email from university president Dr. Vernon Harper dated Sept. 8, the university stated Conder “is no longer with CSUB.” The university also said the change was “effective immediately.”
His departure came just days after Mays was arrested, and no reason was given for his exit.
Under the guidance of Olivarez and Davenport, the Roadrunners saw the program reach heights that hadn’t been seen in years. The 2025 team set new records for stolen bases in a single season and consecutive games won. The team was also on pace to shatter the program record for home runs, but ended up tied for second with 24. On the day Olivarez and Davenport were placed on leave, the team was 11-13. At the end of the season, the team was 16-34.
But despite all of the threats and broken trust, Davenport still believes in CSUB, and in a perfect world, he would be reinstated to coach alongside his wife.
“I just want to come back to work,” Davenport said. “I just want them to make it right, own up to their mistakes, clear our names, and bring us back to work. We will turn the program around and start winning again. We’ve done it before and can do it again.”
As for Mays, he is no longer an employee of the university, was booked into Kern County Jail, and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 29, 2025.
Softball On SI reached out to CSUB for comment and did not receive a response.
-1d7db99dccc9abef7b9378f016b22b68.webp "Maren Angus-Coombs")
Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.