Twenty-one years ago, West Virginia’s baseball team was in an NCAA regional. The Mountaineers started 2-0 and finished 2-2. This season, the school’s first trip to a regional since then, very nearly followed the script, winning the first game, losing the second in teh last at-bat and bowing out last night with a 2-2 record.

Host Wake Forest beat the Mountaineers twice — and hit four home runs along the way, which is not a surprise — and won the region to advance to the super regional at Florida. WVU had an eventful week, though, first smoking Maryland, then playing a fiercely entertaining game against the Demon Deacons that ended with a walk-off single, rallying from a big deficit to beat Maryland and then playing every card available in the final against Wake Forest.

The weekend will be remembered as when the season met it’s end, but this season ought to be remembered as a beginning.

“I think we can full heartedly say that until the last out we competed,” West Virginia first baseman Jackson Cramer said. “It was an incredible season.”

The Mountaineers, who have never reached the Super Regionals in program history, tied the school record for most wins in NCAA postseason play with two.

While West Virginia came up short in its attempt to reach the Supers, Mazey was philosophical about the season and the future of the program

“This team will probably go down in history as one of the best ever at West Virginia,” Mazey said. “What they accomplished this year, to do it without the pitchers that we lost…it is incredible that we got as far as we did.

“We literally used every guy on the team this season to get where we are. Our guys showed a lot of heart, a lot of tenacity, and there are Mountaineer fans everywhere super proud of our team. We made Mountaineer baseball fans that weren’t Mountaineer baseball fans prior to this year.”

Following the opener, WVU’s second, third and fourth games were indictments on the season.

In the second, which was the first against Wake Forest, a 3-0 lead came in the first inning, but the offense couldn’t follow through on threats. The bats were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and 2-for-14 with runners on base. Closer Braden Zarbnisky didn’t have his best stuff, but he was the best WVU had at that point in time. A single and a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the ninth forced manager Randy Mazey to issue an intentional walk to set up a double play or an extra force out, but that brought Gavin Sheets to the plate.

He’s Wake Forest’s biggest bat, and he’s left-handed. WVU, as you well know, has no lefties. Sheets won the the game with a single. It’s was the seventh time an opponent beat the Mountaineers in its final at-bat.

In the first game yesterday, the Mountaineers were in danger against Maryland and faced a 4-0 deficit as the ball went to the bullpen, yet it was that bullpen that prevailed while WVU wore out the Terrapins pitching staff and scored all its runs in the 8-4 win in the final four innings. There were some dicey moments — bases loaded, nobody out in the fourth inning … no runs; Kevin Brophy had an RBI double in the seventh to make it a 4-3 game, couldn’t score on a Kyle Davis double, came out for a pinch runner with one out and the pinch runner was caught on a squeeze play — but true to the team’s character, the Mountaineers carried on and then moved on.

Mazey’s call to start B.J. Myers over — well, that’s the point … who? — in yesterday’s second game was interesting. Myers wasn’t sharp at the end of the season, and he threw 5 2/3 shutout innings Friday. Perhaps Myers could have used more rest and started today if WVU forced a game today, but there’s also a need to win Sunday to set up Monday. If Mazey gives anyone else the start yesterday, what does that do to the team’s chances of winning? What shape is the bullpen in for the do-or-die game today? Myers was WVU’s top-of-the-line starter all season, but he was chased after allowing eight runs — two homers and a grand slam — in three-plus innings, and the offense went down in order in three of the final four innings.

In the end, just not enough arms for the pitchers and not enough big hits for the batters. After swatting six home runs in the opener, WVU managed two in the next three games. Both were against Wake Forest and that total was doubled by the Demon Deacons. Myers and Jackson Sigman were splendid in relief in two games against Maryland — one run in 10 1/3 innings — but the relief against Wake Forest allowed six runs in 10 1/3 innings. That’s not embarrassing, but WVU was in need of clean innings when the offense was coming and going as it was against some lively Wake Forest arms.

Sigman and Jackson Cramer are the team’s only seniors. That’s the ever-ready reliever and arguably the biggest bat in the lineup. There are only five other draft-eligible players, and they’re notable: Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Galusky, who’s not going anywhere, Myers, fellow weekend starter Conner Dotson, who is expected to be fully recovered after breaking his throwing arm in April, lightly used reliever Shane Ennis  and Davis. That one might worry you, because he’s moved from the infield to the left field while at WVU and fits the profile of a corner outfielder now.

Sigman’s durability is a loss, but WVU develops arms and has the bodies to fit there. I mean, there are a lot of players pegged for relief duty. And Mazey’s going to have so many starters next season that his bullpen will benefit as a result: Myers, Dotson, Michael Grove, Isaiah Kearns, Alek Manoah, Kade Strowd and Carter Camp are all starters, and they won’t be sitting out weeks at a time. (Edit: I suppose this is fact now: Grove had Tommy John surgery a few weeks ago. Cross him off.)

Cramer is a loss, but Marques Inman was leading the team in hitting when he suffered a season-ending knee injury, and he plays first base. Brophy has a high ceiling and can play first, as well. If Davis is drafted and if he accepts the invitation, that, too, is a loss, and WVU only has three other regular — that is, not Zarbnisky — outfielders, but who are we to say Zarbnisky can’t handle a bunch of hats again or that someone can’t be moved?

There is a recruiting class on the way, too, and that’s going to provide some immediate help. Tyler Doanes is a catalyst kind of player who can play different spots, and Tristen Hudson is switch hitting infielder and a pitcher. They’re both hitters. Naturally, WVU found a few pitchers. One’s even left-handed! Jackson Wolf is 6-foot-7 and just threw a no-hitter, and both Christian Young and Will Reed, who Mazey profiles as a closer, were dudes in junior college.