Baseball Attendance Ranks In Top 20 Nationally
10/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Baseball Attendance Ranks In Top 20 Nationally HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? The Southern Miss baseball program followed up its 2003 championship season with another outstanding year in 2004, and the Golden Eagles' success was again reflected in its home attendance average which ranked among the top 25 in the nation for the 12th year in a row and was among the Top 20 for the first time since the 2000 season. Southern Miss' average attendance of 2,847 ranked No. 18 nationally and its total attendance of 85,433 ranked No. 23. The average attendance and total attendance were the highest in the history of the facility. "I want to thank all our fans who have helped build the baseball tradition to where it is today," said Southern Miss Head Coach Corky Palmer. "With our attendance finishing in the top 25 for the 12th-straight year and increasing to as high as No. 18 this year, it is indicative of the level of baseball our program plays at and the level of commitment our fans have toward our program. We just want to continue that tradition and keep building on it each year." A record-total of 85,433 people (2,847 average, also a record) came to Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field to watch the Golden Eagles 30 times in 2004 as Southern Miss posted a 22-8 record in home games. The former record for total fans was set in 1996, with 74,738 fans, and the former average attendance record was 2,194 in 1997, with 67,999 fans attending 31 games. Southern Miss returns 15 letterwinners and seven redshirts, including four starting position players, two starting pitchers, and five bullpen pitchers from last year?s squad that finished 45-19 overall and was runner-up in the C-USA regular-season and in the conference tournament. Southern Miss traveled to LSU to participate in the Baton Rouge Regional, marking the second-straight year that the Golden Eagles have participated in the NCAA Regional Tournament and fifth time overall in the program's history. The Golden Eagles open their season on Friday, Feb. 18, at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field against Marshall, who will become a member of Conference USA in 2005-06, at 3 p.m. For season ticket information, call the Southern Miss Ticket Office at 1-800-844-TICK or visit SouthernMiss.com.
2004 85,433 18 2,847 23 22-8
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