By Will Vandervort.

Maybe it’s a good sign. Maybe it is just coincidence. Either way, Clemson should feel right at home when it takes to the field in Friday’s NCAA (Fullerton) Regional at Goodwin Field. Even if it is almost 2,000 miles away.

Why?

The Tigers will be playing in Orange County – Orange County, California that is.

“It will be cool,” Clemson second baseman Tyler Krieger said.

It’s also a homecoming of sorts for Krieger who lived in Orange County before moving to Johns Creek, Georgia in high school.

“It will be fun to see some family, but a different feel for these guys,” Krieger said. “A lot of people (on the team) have not been out west and I’m really excited about the opportunity we have in front of us. It is going to be a fun tournament.”

It should be a fun tournament, especially considering it is filled three of the bigger names in college baseball history. It’s almost like a mini-College World Series.

Cal State Fullerton has made 16 CWS appearances over the years, while Arizona State has been to 22. Clemson has been to 12 overall. All three rank in the top 11 all-time in CWS appearances.

The Tigers, the three-seed in the Fullerton Regional, will play No. 2 seed Arizona State on Friday at 6 p.m. eastern standard time.

“There is great history in this regional with some of these teams. We are going out west which is something different,” Krieger said. “It is something a lot of guys on this team have not done so that is a cool opportunity for a lot of our guys.

“Anytime you get an opportunity, no matter where you go and who you play in the tournament, it is going to be a good team. You just have to be up to the challenge and I think we will be.”

When the Tigers (32-27) take on Arizona State, it will mark the first time in a while they are not making an uphill climb. Since mid-season, when Clemson struggled to a 14-14 start, it seems like they have been playing for their tournament lives every week.

“It is a clean slate. Everybody is on an even playing field,” Krieger said. “Everybody has the same opportunity and we are hot at the same time. We like our chances. We just have to play with some poise and have some guys click and step up for us.”

Clemson enters the NCAA Tournament playing as well as anyone. It has won eight of its last 11 games, which includes victories over No. 3 overall seed Louisville and ACC Tournament Champion Florida State.

“It was an exciting time for our team to see (our name) on the bracket,” Clemson head coach Jack Leggett said. “You can tell they were excited about getting another opportunity to play. They deserve it. I’m very proud to be their coach. They have worked hard for Clemson. They worked hard for this baseball program and they have worked hard for each other.

“We have had our backs up against the wall a lot through the course of the season, but we have come out fighting every time and it is something we will always do. I’m proud of how hard they have worked and how they finished at the end.”

And now they get to see if they can keep it going in Orange County.

“This is Clemson University and it is our expectation every year to make the tournament and then make a run in the tournament. People come to school for this opportunity. You don’t act surprised when you have an opportunity like this because this is what you work for at the beginning of the year.

“We worked this spring and we learned from our ups and downs to get us to this point and we just have to continue to progress.”