When you went to bed Tuesday night, West Virginia’s baseball team had totaled through the years a sum of two freshman all-Americans. When you go to bed tonight, that number will have soared to four. Second baseman Kyle Davis and starting pitcher B.J. Myers were honored by — try any follow me here — “Louisville Slugger as selected by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, the organization announced today.”

Davis was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team and the All-Big 12 Rookie Team, ranking No. 3 in the conference in batting, No. 3 in doubles, No. 5 in hits, No. 5 in total bases, No. 8 in slugging percentage and No. 10 in runs scored.

Myers was named to the All-Big 12 Rookie Team and finished the season with a 2-5 record and a 3.82 ERA in 14 appearances with nine starts. A native of Flower Mound, Texas, Myers struck out 60 batters in 63.2 innings with opponents batting .263.

This is valuable for a few reasons. Davis was a mobile part of the batting order who was productive at the top and in the heart of things. Myers was the team’s best strikeout pitcher and threw better than his record indicated once he earned a Friday slot in the rotation during the season. WVU also has them both for at least two more seasons. They’re true freshmen and not eligible to be drafted until they’re three years out of high school.

Productivity from freshmen is important in baseball, especially at a place like WVU, which had so many this year. Freshmen can transition to the game pretty quickly and contributions are expected faster than they are in, say, football. Elite freshmen recruits can be stars in basketball, but across the nation more freshmen who were not elite recruits make meaningful contributions in baseball. It’s useful, too, that they have to spend three years in the program, and maturity is especially important for freshmen pitchers, of which the Mountaineers have a pretty good one already and for the foreseeable future.