This is what Greg Van Zant told me Sunday night about a 14-5 win the day before that ended a six-game losing streak for WVU’s baseball team: “I’ve told a lot of people that was one of the biggest games we’ve had since I’ve been the head coach here.”

I don’t believe he was exaggerating. You know the guy. You know the criticism. You know the state of affairs and evaluation in the athletic department.

It is understood a regular-season record just three games above .500 overall and just one game above even in the Big East is not extraordinarily endearing and, when lined up next to some recent records, probably doesn’t do a whole lot to put Van Zant in a different perspective for the rooting public. He and his baseball team had another one of those late-season slides and, truth be told, aren’t a real threat for postseason success.

That much we know. What seems to be unknown is what may be most important, though.

In a place where Bill Stewart’s success wasn’t good enough because, as Oliver Luck said, “results matter,” perhaps people will pile on and give the same attention and the same level of demands and expectations to Van Zant as were given to Stewart. Even if that is the case — and I don’t agree whatsoever because I don’t think you can or should treat the two jobs the same — you might take a look at what the Mountaineers actually did this season.

Tomorrow they begin the Big East Tournament as the No. 4 seed. They’ve made that tournament, which accepts the top eight teams in the 12-team conference, the past three years now and twice as a top-four seed (No. 3 in 2009). In the preseason Big East poll, which is assembled by the coaches, the Mountaineers were picked ninth. Eighteen points separated them from the No. 8 team while only 13 points came between them and No. 11.

And then WVU played just about all of the season without its cleanup hitter and without its catcher from the opening day lineup. The No. 2  hitter, who redshirted last season with a shoulder injury and who was No. 4 nationally with a school-record .439 average in 2009, missed 14 games late in the season … and the team went 4-10. The pitcher who started all series openers was hurt and required Tommy John surgery. A valuable senior arm, one that made the Valley League all-star team in the summer, was also lost for the season.

The Mountaineers were young and inexperienced to begin with and even as all that happened, they were asked to play more road games than home games in Big East play, including series at USF and Louisville to start the Big East season — and then at Notre Dame for three out of four series on the road up front.

Fun.

Overall, that’s a team you can tell performed above most perceptions. Their success despite everything throw in their way is the result that truly matters.