PALM HARBOR, Fla. — A Tampa Bay area high school baseball coach has been temporarily relieved of his duties while authorities investigate the killing and burial of a snake on his team's field.

Palm Harbor University High School second baseman Zach Sobel says Jeremy Albrecht told the team last week that they were "snake-bitten" and needed to stop their losing streak.

So, Sobel says, the team bought and killed a snake, then buried it on the field during the school's spring break. The coach wasn't present.

A Pinellas County schools spokeswoman says Albrecht is temporarily sidelined while authorities investigate. A sheriff's office spokeswoman says nothing has been found on the field.

Albrecht told the St. Petersburg Times that he can't comment during an ongoing investigation.

Information from: St. Petersburg Times, http://tampabay.com