No matter what happens from this point forward, first baseman Jackson Cramer and relief pitcher Jackson Sigman will end their careers in the NCAA’s postseason. Most of their teammates weren’t even alive the last time West Virginia baseball made a regional — they’re the only two seniors on a roster with four juniors. Each had a big say in the first trip to this stage since 1996, Cramer with the biggest bat in the lineup, Sigman with the most durable arm on the roster. Each will have his fingerprints on what happens next.

And each is going in the right direction when the opposite was true not long ago. We’ve chronicled Sigman’s troubles before, when he gave up three home runs in 15 pitches at Kansas State, an appearance that was preceded by a disastrous outing in the loss at Maryland. He’s since righted things and become highly valuable for a team that goes to the bullpen often. We’ve sketched out Cramer’s troubles before too, when his average dipped from north of .320 to south of .260 and he managed one home run in 13 games. He’s turned it around too, and you could say his slump was … academic.

“A lot of times, that happens with a kid who’s a really, really good student like he is,” manager Randy Mazey said.

Eight of the final nine games in the 13-game stretch coincided with dead week and finals week at WVU.

“He was telling me how tough his final exams were going to be, and that takes a lot away from you,” Mazey said. “When that happens, and you know school is over and you can just relax and focus on baseball, you see guys start to come back around again.”

Cramer’s average is back up to .279. He homered twice at Texas in the final game of the regular season and then made the all-tournament team at the Big 12 tournament. He batted 4-for-15, walked twice and added four runs and five RBI.

Cramer had three extra-base hits, and he came all the way around on an RBI single and a three-base error to tie the score in the ninth inning of an elimination game against Texas Tech. WVU went on to win thanks to Cramer’s three-run triple in the 10th inning. His opposite field drive in the semifinal against Oklahoma State settled at the base of the left-field wall and counted as the final out in the 10th inning, but he wasn’t far from a game-winning two-run home run.

“It’s pretty stressful, especially with it being your senior year and you’re trying to finish college,” Cramer said. “We miss a lot of class. That wears on some people. Some people handle it better than others, but it definitely makes a difference getting worn down and stressed out.

“It’s tough to play baseball when you’ve got all that going on. Just to be a part of it now when you’ve got nothing to worry about as far as school goes, it’s a relief.”

This is where we end today. The game begins at 2 p.m. You can watch on ESPN3, listen on an IMG affiliate near you or online here and you can follow the live stats here.

Also, is anybody going? Let me know in the comments, please. I’d welcome whatever pictures, videos and other submissions you can come up with today.