FARMVILLE — A pair of Longwood baseball players will move on to the professional ranks this season, as Kyri Washington and Aaron Myers both signed professional baseball contracts with the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, respectively. Myers inked his undrafted free agent deal with the Brewers Wednesday evening before Washington followed suit by signing with the Red Sox Thursday morning.

An All-Big South and Big South All-Tournament selection, Washington was selected by the Red Sox in the 23rd round in the First Year Player Draft to become Longwood’s ninth draft pick in school history. Myers, meanwhile, joined the Brewers organization as an undrafted free agent. The two become the 12th and 13th Longwood players to join MLB organizations. The pair of Major League signees mark the first time in the Division I era that two Lancers have headed to the pros in the same season and the first such occasion since 1992 when first-round pick Michael Tucker and 37th-rounder Scott Abell were signed by Kansas City.

“We are excited to see Kyri and Aaron get the opportunity to pursue their aspirations of playing professional baseball,” said Longwood head coach Ryan Mau, who took over as head coach in 2014-15. “They have continually displayed tremendous work ethic and the ability to develop through our program. They have put together very successful athletic careers here at Longwood and are very deserving of this opportunity. We wish them the best of luck with the Red Sox and Brewers, and know that they will continue to make us proud as Lancers.”

Both Myers and Washington will begin their professional careers at the Rookie League level. Myers will play with Milwaukee’s affiliate in the Arizona League, while Washington will join the Red Sox club in the Gulf Coast League.

As a junior, Washington led the Big South with 15 home runs and delivered the third-best single season mark in Longwood history. It was Washington’s best season in the blue and white, as the left fielder hit .279 with a team-leading 52 RBI earning Second-Team ABCA All-East Region honors along with Second-Team All-Big South praise.

By signing with the Red Sox, Washington will forego his senior season at Longwood. A business administration major with a concentration in accounting and a 3.51 grade point average, Washington plans to complete his degree within the next two years.

“My parents and I sat down and weighed every option,” said Washington. “It was a very hard decision because Longwood is a great place. I talked to Coach Mau throughout the entire process, but I just felt like the cards fell into place and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“I want to finish my degree as soon as possible,” Washington said. “I want to get that done because I know it would be hard to take some time off and then try to relearn everything in accounting. Baseball won’t last forever, so getting that accounting degree will definitely help out and hopefully I could land a job at a big four firm.”

Myers, who concluded his senior season in 2015, will continue his baseball career with the Brewers. “I’m extremely excited,” said Myers, a 6-3, 225-pound right-hander from Newport News. “To take the next step towards my childhood dream is just incredible. It still hasn’t really set in. The feeling is just superb.”

The Second-Team ABCA All-East selection Myers finished his time at Longwood in style, breaking five records in his senior season, including three strikeout records, the all-time saves record and the most innings pitched in Lancer history. The Friday night ace broke a pair of those strikeout records in a single game, setting the career strikeouts record while fanning a single-game high 14 against North Carolina A&T. He went on to complete the strikeout trifecta, nabbing the single-season record in his final regular season start against Winthrop.

The final campaign in Myers’ Longwood career capped off a storied four years which saw the Brewers signee serve time as the closer before progressing to the Friday night spot. Myers set or tied eight records as a Lancer, adding the career saves mark by earning his 17th save against UNC Asheville. He surpassed former Lancer great Mark Montgomery, a man he and Washington now join as the three active Lancers in affiliated baseball.

“All I wanted to do was play ball and I was getting antsy just waiting around for a call,” Myers said. “Just as I was considering playing for an independent team, I got the call. It was truly a phenomenal feeling.”