Baseball Southern Conference

SoCon Baseball Experiences Record-Setting Year

Spartanburg, S.C. - The Southern Conference experienced a record-setting year in 2004.

Not only did the conference send two teams to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four years, but a number of teams and individuals experienced breakthrough seasons.

The College of Charleston's Byron Barber led the league with 107 hits to tie a SoCon record for hits in a season. Caleb Moore of East Tennessee State University, and Barber both finished the season in the .400 club. Moore led the league in batting with a .455 average, while Barber hit .410. Moore also had a .752 slugging percentage, which landed him 11th on the single season list. Moore set a SoCon record for doubles in a season with 31, including a four-double performance against the College of Charleston. Barber also led the league in hit-by-pitches, taking 24 pitches for the team.

Western Carolina's Jared Greenwood led the league with 21 home runs and also became the first player since 1999 to break the 20 home-run mark. As a team, the Catamounts combined for 137 doubles landing them at the ninth spot on the single-season top 10.

College of Charleston finished as the regular-season champion, posting a batting average of .341, which is the sixth-best team average in league history. The Cougars collected 760 hits on the season, the second-most on the single-season list. Charleston hitters combined to drive in 475 runners to finish second on the single-season RBI list. The Cougars also set a new conference record for wins (47) in a season and in conference (25) play. Charleston posted a 47-16 record overall and finished runner-up at the Baton Rouge NCAA Regional.

Chip Cannon of The Citadel set a new Southern Conference record in walks with 71, including two five walk performances this season versus High Point and East Tennessee.

Pitchers Jonathan Ellis (The Citadel), Ryan Johnson (College of Charleston) and Everett Teaford (Georgia Southern) left their marks on the single-season strikeout and wins lists. Johnson finished the season a perfect 12-0 in 14 appearances. Ellis' 131 strikeouts and Teaford's 113 strikeouts landed them both in the 100-strikeout club. Johnson's and Ellis' 12 wins this season tied them for second all-time in wins in a season. Ellis also tossed nine complete games and led the league in starts with 18.

The Citadel finished the season as tournament champion and posted a 38-28 record overall after advancing to the NCAA Regional. As a team, the Bulldogs led the SoCon in strikeouts, retiring 494 batters in 600.2 innings pitched.

Cougar pitcher Brett Harker finished the season tied for third on the single-season list in saves with 13, and Davidson's Jay Heafner finished the season with 11 saves, tying him for ninth.

Elon's Evan Tartaglia finished the season tied for 10th with seven triples on the season hitting top 10, while also entering the top 10 in sacrifice hits with 12.