NU Ranks Sixth in Baseball Attendance

Lincoln ? The 2003 season was another record-breaking year for the Nebraska baseball team, as the NCAA released its 2003 attendance leaders Tuesday.

Nebraska equaled its highest ranking ever, placing sixth in the annual ratings, as a total of 150,459 fans came out to Hawks Field at Haymarket Park last season. The average of 4,299 fans per home game broke the existing school record of 4,110, set in 2002, and was the highest by any northern school.

The season total also shattered the school record in that category, bettering the previous mark of 139,740 set in 2002, as NU uses actual attendance figures, and not tickets sold to compile its attendance totals.

Head Coach Mike Anderson said the high ranking is a testament to the loyal fans, who came out to the ballpark throughout the spring, battling less than ideal weather conditions on occasion.

"We have the best fans in the county," Anderson said. "We've always known that we have the best football fans in the nation, and with these numbers, we can add college baseball to that list. It is a true testament to the fans throughout the state of Nebraska and their support of our entire athletic program. It is incredible to see the growth we have had over the past five years, not only at home, but also in the interest in the program when we travel around the state for camps and other functions and when we are on the road."

Nebraska's average attendance has skyrocketed over 450 percent during the past five seasons, jumping from 953 fans per game in 1999 to more than 4,000 fans per game in each of the past two seasons. Nebraska was one of five Big 12 teams in the top 15 in average attendance, joining Texas (4,693, third), Texas A&M (4,878, fifth), Baylor (3,058, 11th) and Texas Tech (2,750, 15th).

The Huskers, who went 47-21 en route to their second Big 12 title in three years in 2003, are wrapping up fall drills and will conclude fall practice with the annual Red/White Series at Hawks Field, which is tentatively set for Oct. 6-12. All of the Red/White games are open to the public, and more information on the series will be posted on Huskers.com, when available.

2003 NCAA Attendance Leaders by Average

Team

Dates

Attendance

Average 1. LSU

33

245,813

7,449 2. Mississippi St.

33

201,015

6,091 3. Texas

38

188,959

4,973 4. Alabama

33

163,549

4,956 5. Texas A&M

35

179,720

4,878 6. Nebraska

35

150,459

4,299 7. Wichita St.

28

99,966

3,570 8. Clemson

33

109,696

3,324 9. Florida St.

43

135,220

3,145 10. Rice

39

119,479

3,064 11. Baylor

28

85,620

3.058 12. Auburn

30

87,052

2,902 13. Arizona St.

40

113,580

2,840 14. S. Carolina

33

93,372

2,829 15. Texas Tech

34

93,490

2,750 16. Fresno St.

36

96,979

2,694 17. Hawaii

37

96,376

2,605 18. Miami (Fla.)

39

99,605

2,554 19. Tulane

36

86,913

2,414 20. La.-Lafayette

29

67,319

2,321