The Clemson Regional consists of a team on the bubble that earned a berth, a team once known as the Fighting Christians and one making its first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Oh yeah, and the national No. 1 seed.

Play kicks off this afternoon with Mississippi State (35-21) battling the Elon University Phoenix (44-16). The nightcap features top-seeded Clemson (47-14) and UNC-Asheville (28-33).

&#8220You want to have the opportunity to get in the big dance,” Elon coach Mike Kennedy said. &#8220We’re just excited to be in. To play a team like Mississippi State, with their history, is exciting.”

History is definitely on the Bulldogs’ side. MSU will be making its 29th NCAA Tournament and 10th straight trip. The Bulldogs began the season with an 18-game winning streak and reached No. 1 in the nation.

&#8220Our kids are thrilled to get an opportunity for a second chance and are looking forward to playing in the NCAA Tournament,” Mississippi State coach Ron Polk said. &#8220We were somewhat of a snake-bit team this year, with some injuries and a lot of close losses in the second half of the season.”

That recent history – a 12-17 record in the Southeastern Conference and not making the conference tournament – is much bleaker. The team lost five of its last six SEC series and finished a half game behind LSU for the final spot in the league tournament.

Mississippi State’s 35-21 record was good enough to sway selection committee members for an at-large berth.

The Bullldogs will face an Elon team that is making its second trip to the NCAA Tournament. In 2002, the Phoenix also played at Clemson.

Chris Price leads the Phoenix with a .352 average and is second with 12 home runs. Robert Rodebaugh leads the team with 21 doubles.

On the hill Matt Chastain has a 10-2 record with a 2.61 ERA, while closer Chad Tilley is 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA and 10 saves.

The class of this regional, however, is the host Tigers. Clemson won the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship, and has won 19 of its last 20 games. The only setback came in a loss to Georgia Tech in the conference tournament.

Despite Clemson’s success, Polk took some potshots at the regional hosts. The ACC’s expansion to 12 teams in recent years has watered down that league, he said, making it on a lower level than the SEC.

SEC teams like Vanderbilt and Kentucky have improved so much there are no off weekends in the conference, he said, while ACC powers like Clemson face struggling teams whose programs are not on par.

He also says his athletic director, Larry Templeton, got too much criticism as head of the NCAA’s baseball selection committee for the Bulldogs getting in but similar high-profile schools like LSU missing out.

&#8220I told my team, ‘Let’s win this game for Larry,”’ Polk said. &#8220Let’s win the NCAA Tournament for Larry.”

In its opener today, Clemson will battle a UNC-Asheville team making its first appearance in an NCAA Regional. The Bulldogs won the inaugural Big South Conference championship.

The winner of this regional will match up with the winner of the Fayetteville, Ark., regional in the super regionals.