For the third consecutive year, the Ohio State baseball team will be making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. And in that same stretch, the Buckeyes once again drew one of the toughest fields in the nation.

The No. 3 seeded Buckeyes open up the Auburn Regional facing No. 2 Clemson Friday at 3:30 p.m. Top-seeded Auburn will play fourth-seeded Princeton at 7:30. The regional is a double-elimination tournament with the champion advancing to one of the 16 Super Regionals.

“It’s a tough regional,” OSU designated hitter Steve Caravati said. “But anything can happen inside the white lines.”

No time was that philosophy more evident than in the Buckeyes run through last week’s Big Ten Tournament. Although OSU earned the No. 2 seed behind Minnesota, not many people would bet on the scarlet and gray to win back-to-back titles after sophomore pitcher Scott Lewis went down for the rest of the season after tearing a ligament in his pitching elbow.

“Bottom line is not many people gave us a chance, especially after losing Scott Lewis,” OSU manager Bob Todd said. “We challenged the ball club and told them they had to do some things to win, and obviously, they took it to heart.”

After falling earlier in the tournament, the Buckeyes battled back and beat the Golden Gophers twice on Sunday to win their second straight Big Ten Tournament and the conference’s automatic berth in the tournament.

Things will not get any easier for the Buckeyes as they will go up against a perennial strong Clemson ball club. While the Tigers did not dominate the Atlantic Coast Conference like years past – finishing 38-20 overall and 15-9 in the conference – Clemson is tournament tested. Last season, the Tigers advanced to the College World Series in Omaha and is making its 17th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

“I look at this as one of the best regionals in the nation,” OSU pitcher Josh Newman said. “But we just have to take each game at a time, and work towards our goal.”

The Buckeye pitching staff will be tested often by the Tigers’ powerful lineup. Clemson third baseman Brad McCann leads the team with a .351 batting average and has started all but one of the team’s 58 games. He also leads the team with 66 RBIs and 21 doubles.

The Tigers also have some power with first baseman Michael Johnson, who has hit 12 of Clemson’s 53 home runs. Johnson shines with runners in scoring position, hitting .346 with 49 RBIs.

“Clemson’s got some guys who can swing the bat,” Newman said. “Me and (OSU outfielder) Christian Snavely played summer ball with their third baseman, and team’s haven’t really been pitching to him much.”

However, Clemson is not a purely offensive team. On the mound, the Tigers boast a 4.02 ERA and are led by lefty ace Tyler Lumsden. Lumsden finished the season 8-2 with a 3.62 ERA in 79 2-3 innings. He is not an overpowering pitcher, striking out just 69 hitters on the season.

While many consider this regional one of the toughest in all the nation, the Buckeyes are not ready to back down.

“We’re going to have to score some runs, there’s no doubt about it,” Todd said. “When you get into the NCAA Tournament, the intensity picks up and the quality of play picks up, so mistakes are magnified.”