The 2004 Eastern Kentucky University baseball team claimed a pair of NCAA statistical championships by leading all Division I teams in batting average (.375) and doubles per game (2.69).

The College of Charleston was second behind EKU in batting with a .341 tilt, while Utah was second in doubles per game with 2.62 two-baggers per contest.

The Colonels also ranked among national leaders with the second-best effort in slugging percentage, tallying a .551 mark, and finished third in scoring with their 9.6 runs per game. Southern University led the nation in scoring with 10.1 runs per game, followed by UNLV with 9.9. Southern also topped the charts in slugging percentage with their .568 mark in that category.

Eastern Kentucky ranked in the top 30 in stolen bases per game (22nd – 1.82) and in win-loss percentage (29th - .667).

Several players finished the season among national leaders, as well. Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year Stephen Carter ended the year ranked third in the nation with a .448 batting average, trailing only East Tennessee State’s Caleb Moore (.455) and Eastern Michigan’s Brian Bixler (.453). Jonathan Woodard ranked 10th with a .418 average, while current Tri-City ValleyCat Chris Clark finished 17th with a .409 mark. Derrick Bussell ranked 23rd after batting .404 during his junior campaign.

Clark ranked 13th in doubles per game with 0.43, while fellow 2004 Houston Astros’ draft pick and current Greenville Astro Neil Sellers was 18th in runs batted in per game with 1.24. Junior Chris O’Dell ranked in the top 25 in three categories. The Lexington native was seventh in homeruns per game with 0.35, 19th in slugging percentage at .711, and 23rd with 1.19 runs per game.

National recognition is nothing new for the Colonels who ranked sixth in batting average (.322), eighth in scoring (8.7 runs per game), 30th in doubles (2.21 per game) and 34th in slugging percentage (.481) in 2003.

“It’s always a great accomplishment anytime you can rank among national leaders and to lead in both batting average and doubles is an outstanding achievement for our team and for our program,” said EKU head coach Elvis Dominguez. “The guys wanted to prove that our statistics in 2003 weren’t a one-time occurrence and they did that with the numbers they put up this season. I’m proud of the way our guys played and it’s a great ending to a very successful season.”