No. 1 Coastal Carolina (48-11)
How they got here: Won the Big South Conference Tournament
NCAA Appearances: Seventh (First Hosting)

The last time Coastal Carolina was in the NCAA Tournament was in 2005 when they beat UNLV twice to advance to the championship game before falling to Arizona State. This is by far the Chanticleers best chance to advance to a super regional, but it won't be easy. Coastal has been a team this year that has relied on both good hitting and good pitching. Their rotation for the weekend isn't set just yet, but those who will pitch are known. The good thing for head coach Gary Gilmore is that he's got guys to choose from to throw first. Here's their top four starters:
RHP Bobby Gagg (11-2, 2.75 ERA, 16 Starts, 104.2 IP, 82 K's)
RHP John Mariotti (8-0, 4.03 ERA, 16 Starts, 89.1 IP, 64 K's)
RHP Andy DeLaGarza ((9-2, 3.34 ERA, 16 Starts, 97 IP, 50 K's)
RHP David Anderson (5-3, 3.25 ERA, 4 Starts (28 appearances), 61 IP, 42 K's)

Coastal's team ERA sits at a very nice 3.41, and it will be up to them to keep the tough Clemson and St. John's' offenses at bay this weekend. Here are the guys to look out for in the batter's box:
OF Tommy Balbridge: .393, 13 HR, 56 RBI
OF David Sappelt: .366, 10 HR, 49 RBI
C Matt Rademacher: .344, 6 HR, 38 RBI

It's a tough group to get out, with the team's average at .322, and they've hit a very respectable 72 homeruns on the year. You know that once the Chants found out that Clemson was going to be in their regional, it meant that much more to them than it would have (obviously it would have meant a lot to host for the first time, but there's that in-state rivalry thing going on). It's their chance to get that little brother label off their backs. Clemson leads the all-time seres 34-6, including a 4-0 win this season in their only meeting.

No. 2 Clemson (38-21)
How they got there: At-Large Bid From ACC
NCAA Appearances: 33rd

Clemson makes its 33rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and has made it every year since 1987. The Tigers are coming off a 2-1 showing at the ACC Tournament, but missed out on a chance to play for the conference championship after a loss to Wake Forest during round-robin play. They finished second in the Atlantic Division, and were the fourth best team overall in the conference. Here's a look at the guys you might see starting for the Tigers this weekend:
LHP Ryan Hinson (5-2, 2.67 ERA, 14 Starts, 77.2 IP, 58 K's)
RHP David Kopp (6-2, 3.48 ERA, 16 Starts, 93 IP, 73 K's)
LHP Daniel Moskos (3-5, 3.12 ERA, 8 Starts, 6 Saves, 66.1 IP, 70 K's)

Clemson has a had a solid team ERA at 3.66, but a guy like P.J. Zocchi who was going to be relied upon to eat up innings, hasn't panned out that way. Zocchi is 4-2 with a 5.37 ERA in 15 appearances, nine of them being starts.

Looking at the lineup, there's a guy in there that was thought to be a player of the year candidate when the year began, first baseman Andy D'Alessio. He got off to a real slow start, but was still able to hit .306-14-41. It was certainly not the year the Tigers thought they'd see from him, especially after the brilliant, monstrous year he had in 2006. The lineup is potent, with guys like Brad Chalk (.385-0-16), and Doug Hogan (.327-11-41). This is not the Clemson team that we've seen in year's past that was able to outslug everybody. They only hit .288 this year with 57 homeruns in 59 games.

No. 3 St. John's (40-17)
How they got here: At-Large Bid From Big East
NCAA Appearances: 30th

There's something to be said about a team that started the year 0-7 and finished it 40-10, including a win at Rice for their third victory of the season. No one was questioning the inclusion of St. John's as an at large bid. And many think the Big East finally got some respect by having three teams in the 64-team field. So, how have the Johnnies been doing it? A nice blend of starting pitching and a real solid lineup that features eight regulars with an average over .300, with third baseman Gil Zayas leading the way with a .363 clip. As a team, they are hitting .330, and their staff ERA sits at 3.47.

Lefty sophomore Scott Barnes has really come into his own as the ace of the staff, and has even tossed a no-hitter this season in a 16-0 win over Georgetown. It was only the second no-no ever tossed in school history. Consider they've been playing baseball since 1906, and that takes on a whole new meaning. Add George Brown and Jared Yecker to the mix, and you have yourself a very formidable top three that could certainly thrive in a pitcher's park like Coastal Federal Field is supposedly (with the ocean breeze knocking nearly everything down that tries to get up and out).

St. John's struggled at the Big East Tournament in a park that kept a lot of balls in, so we'll see if they can overcome that this weekend.

No. 4 Virginia Commonwealth (37-21)
How They Got Here: Won The CAA Tournament
NCAA Appearances: Ninth

After running through the CAA Tournament last weekend with four straight wins, VCU now takes on the big boys. A balanced team without that much power (28 homers, Jared Bolden leads the team with five), they'll rely on some small ball as five guys finished the year with double-digits in steals (Kwan Evans leads the team with 18).

As a team, they hit a respectable .303 on the year (Jared Bolden leads with a .393 average), and as far as the pitching staff, Phillip Deane (3-4, 4.02 ERA), Cody Eppley (7-4, 4.45 ERA), and John Leonard (5-2, 4.90 ERA) are the likely starters this weekend if they get to a third game. Luke Pisker has been their best overall pitcher, as in 30 appearances, he's 9-1 with 11 saves and a 1.87 ERA. In 62.2 innings, opponents are hitting just .189 against him. Gotta like the Rams' chances if they can get late into a ballgame with a lead.

Overall, the four teams matchup pretty well on paper if you don't look at names. Of course many people are going to pick Clemson because they are the battle tested team out of the ACC, even with one of Coastal Carolina's best seasons they have ever seen. It also goes without saying that many Clemson fans will be in attendance this weekend in Myrtle Beach. Although it's about a five hour trip, I've seen those Tiger fans, and something tells me that they'll be here in droves.

There's no question that Coastal Carolina and St. John's have perhaps the most to prove of the four teams. The Johnnies want to tell the nation that putting three teams in the tournament was a wise decision, while Coastal, like stated earlier, feels that they belong right up there with an ACC powerhouse like their in-state rival.

I'm really looking forward to the action. Feel free to drop your comments and what you think is going to happen this weekend. As I'm sitting here typing in a Starbucks on Ocean Blvd., a Clemson fan just walked past. 'Till Friday at noon, G'night from Myrtle Beach.