Breaking down the Columbia regional:

(1) NO. 7 SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS (40-17)

Bid: At-large

League (record): Southeastern (18-11)

Coach (history): Ray Tanner (16th season; NC State '80; former head coach at NC State)

Quality wins: 3-2 and 9-6 over Clemson; 9-3 over Florida; 8-3 and 6-4 over Vanderbilt; 7-0 over College of Charleston; 7-6, 5-3 and 6-4 over Mississippi State; 8-6 and 10-7 over Arkansas; 5-4 over LSU

2012 record vs. rest of field: 2-1 vs. Clemson

Top hitters: 1B Christian Walker (.328, 10 HR, 51 RBIs); LF Tanner English (.309, 0 HR, 19 RBIs); SS Joey Pankake (.284, 2 HR, 24 RBIs); CF Evan Marzilli (.284, 2 HR, 29 RBIs)

Top pitchers: LHP Michael Roth (6-1, 2.58 ERA, 75 SO); RHP Colby Holmes (6-1, 3.39 ERA, 49 SO); LHP Jordan Montgomery (4-1, 4.20 ERA, 45 SO); RHP Matt Price (4-4, 3.68 ERA, 58 SO, 10 saves)

The skinny: The back-to-back national champions haven't had the greatest year, but have still managed to win a title already (SEC East) despite not being consistent through the year. A slow start in the league became a scorching finish, although USC lost the regular-season title on the last day of the year and again had a short stay at the conference tournament. It's a field of rivalries for the Gamecocks, and of expectation - after the last two years (and the postseason success against Clemson), USC is expected and demanded to do it again. The Gamecocks have managed to turn it on in the postseason lately and at home (16 straight postseason wins, 19 straight postseason wins in Columbia) and will try to do it one more time.

(2) CLEMSON TIGERS (33-26)

Bid: At-large

League (record): Atlantic Coast (16-14)

Coach (history): Jack Leggett (19th season; Maine '76; former head coach at Vermont and Western Carolina)

Quality wins: 6-5 over South Carolina; 6-2 and 4-2 over Elon; 10-5 over Georgia; 7-6 over NC State; 13-7, 11-8 over Georgia Tech; 4-3, 12-3 over College of Charleston; 7-2, 9-7 and 9-7 over Florida State

2012 record vs. rest of field: 1-2 vs. South Carolina; 0-1 vs. Coastal Carolina

Top hitters: 3B Richie Shaffer (.339, 10 HR, 46 RBIs); 2B Steve Wilkerson (.308, 1 HR, 30 RBIs); OF Thomas Brittle (.303, 2 HR, 33 RBIs); C Phil Pohl (.288, 8 HR, 50 RBIs)

Top pitchers: RHP Kevin Pohle (6-4, 3.66 ERA, 39 SO); RHP Daniel Gossett (6-3, 4.50 ERA, 79 SO); RHP Dominic Leone (6-4, 5.49 ERA, 60 SO); RHP Scott Firth (4-0, 1.99 ERA, 41 SO, 2 saves)

Record against USC: 169-127-2

Last played USC: March 4, 2012 (6-5 Clemson)

The skinny: The Tigers stumbled to the finish line in a season marred by inconsistent play and injuries to ace pitcher Kevin Brady and reliever Matt Campbell, but have a chance to rebound by playing some familiar opponents. Coastal is up first, and then perhaps a matchup with archrival USC. The obvious storyline is how the Tigers still hold a significant edge in the historical series, but how the Gamecocks have far surpassed that total recently - USC holds a 4-0 advantage in the last two postseason meetings, two wins each at the College World Series, and has won two national championships while Clemson is still searching for its first. Leggett knows how desperately his fan base wants to right those two (four) wrongs, and beating USC on its home field in the NCAA Regionals would be a step toward doing that. Clemson managed to beat Florida State three of four times this year and knock the Seminoles down a few pegs before the postseason - now that the postseason is here, perhaps the Tigers can pull a little more out of themselves for the one team that they aren't allowed to lose to.

(3) COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS (41-17)

Bid: Automatic

League (record): Big South (18-5)

Coach (history): Gary Gilmore (17th season; Coastal Carolina '80; former head coach at USC Aiken)

Quality wins: 3-2 over NC State; 5-1 over College of Charleston; 7-3, 6-1 and 6-2 over Michigan; 6-2 over Connecticut; 10-7 over Clemson; 5-3, 4-2, 4-1 and 7-1 over Liberty

2012 record vs. rest of field: 1-0 vs. Clemson

Top hitters: OF Daniel Bowman (.401, 6 HR, 38 RBIs); 3B Rich Witten (.350, 5 HR, 62 RBIs); OF Alex Buccilli (.320, 3 HR, 40 RBIs); C Tucker Frawley (.297, 1 HR, 27 RBIs)

Top pitchers: RHP Herb Tyler (8-2, 2.87 ERA, 65 SO); LHP Javier Reynoso (3-2, 3.78 ERA, 22 SO); LHP Austin Wallace (5-0, 2.10 ERA, 43 SO); RHP Ryan Connolly (5-2, 2.11 ERA, 52 SO, 11 saves)

Record against USC: 5-12

Last played USC: June 13, 2010 (10-9 South Carolina in the final game of the Myrtle Beach NCAA Super Regional)

The skinny: As it has become accustomed to, Coastal Carolina is back in the NCAA Regionals after once again storming through the Big South. The Chanticleers are a major program playing in a mid-major league, and getting sent to Columbia (while not exactly a vacation to a new place) gives them a chance to heal some old wounds. Coastal, featuring perhaps its best team, was blanked 2-0 in the Myrtle Beach Super Regional by USC two years ago, and the Gamecocks went on to win their first national championship. Gilmore said after that game that Omaha had never felt so far away as it did right then, and has kept using that fuel to try and get back to that point. While many are focusing on the rivalry matchup between archrivals USC and Clemson, Coastal is also a rival of both - the Chants beat Clemson this year and the university has a long-standing feud with USC, of which it used to be a branch campus.

(4) MANHATTAN JASPERS (33-25)

Bid: Automatic

League (record): Metro Atlantic Athletic (18-6)

Coach (history): Jim Duffy (First season; Seton Hall '96)

Quality wins: 13-11 over West Virginia; 18-11 over Army; 11-5 over Sacred Heart; 3-2, 7-0, 5-4 and 3-2 over Canisius

2012 record vs. rest of field: 0-0

Top hitters: OF Anthony Vega (.336, 5 HR, 31 RBIs); INF Nick Camastro (.319, 0 HR, 28 RBIs); INF Yoandry Galan (.293, 0 HR, 22 RBIs); INF Joe McClennan (.276, 1 HR, 16 RBIs)

Top pitchers: RHP Taylor Sewitt (11-1, 2.40 ERA, 83 SO); RHP John Soldinger (6-5, 3.43 ERA, 53 SO); RHP Michael Scarinci (6-4, 4.47 ERA, 28 SO); RHP Jacob Marchus (1-1, 1.31 ERA, 14 SO, 8 saves)

Record against USC: Never played

Gamecock Central has provided the most in-depth coverage of Gamecock sports and recruiting since 1998! Give our service a try with our special 7-Day FREE TRIALClick The skinny: The Jaspers have to be feeling like Dorothy in Oz this weekend, stepping into a hotbed of collegiate baseball where the other three teams are all very familiar (and very contested) with each other. Manhattan may be feeling like a stranger in a strange land, but is no stranger to the postseason. The Jaspers beat Canisius in two extra-inning games to give rookie skipper Duffy his first trip to the dance in his first try, and won't be intimidated by playing the back-to-back national champs right away. Manhattan is one of the final 64 for a reason, and the mid-majors have talent just like the big boys do - perhaps not as much of it, but all it needs is one great pitching performance and the rest could be history.Here to view this Link.!