Baseball Attendance Ranks In Top 25 Once Again
10/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Baseball Attendance Ranks In Top 25 Once Again
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss baseball program won its first Conference USA regular season and tournament titles last year and the Golden Eagles' success was again reflected in its home attendance average which ranked among the top 25 in the nation for the 11th year in a row.
"I want to thank all our fans who have helped build the baseball tradition to where it is today," Southern Miss Head Coach Corky Palmer said. "With our attendance finishing in the top 25 for the 11th-straight year, it is indicative of the level of baseball our program plays at and the level of committement our fans have toward our program. We just want to continue that tradition and keep buidling on it each year."
A total of 68,398 people (2,137 average) came to Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field to watch the Golden Eagles 32 times in 2003 as Southern Miss posted a 25-7 record in home games. The average attendance was the second highest in the history of the facility. The only year that the average attendance was better was 1997, when 67,999 fans attended 31 for an an average of 2,194. The total amount of fans in 2003 was the fourth highest in the school's history.
Southern Miss hosted the 2003 NCAA Hattiesburg Regional Tournament and set the Nos. 1, 2 and 5 single-game attendance marks. Against Baylor in the championship round of the regional, a record crowd of 4,601 fans attended the game, while 4,553 attended the semifinal matchup against Southern University the day before and a crowd of 4,236 watched the first-round matchup against Southern.
Southern Miss returns 17 letterwinners and two redshirts, including six starting position players, two starting pitchers, and five bullpen pitchers from last year?s squad that finished 47-16 overall and won the Conference USA regular season and tournament championships. Southern Miss hosted the Hattiesburg Regional, finishing as the runner-up. The Golden Eagles set a record for the most wins in a season and the most wins in conference action as well.
Year Home Attendance Ranking Avg. Attendance Ranking Home Record
2003 68,398 24 2,137 24 25-7
2002 68,642 23 2,080 23 24-9
2001 60,339 21 2,081 21 16-13
2000 63,846 19 1,935 19 23-11
1999 51,572 22 1,719 22 27-3
1998 63,784 15 2,058 15 20-13
1997 67,999 11 2,194 14 23-8
1996 74,738 13 1,967 10 26-12
1995 71,342 11 2,098 12 27-7
1994 62,542 10 1,895 12 21-12
1993 46,536 9 1,724 9 19-10