Omaha, Neb. ? The Atlantic Coast Conference is poised to end a 51-year national championship drought in baseball.

Four ACC teams, including No. 1 national seed Clemson, make up half the field in the College World Series. That matches the record by the Southeastern Conference, which sent four teams to the CWS in 1997 and 2004.

The ACC had never done better than two teams in a CWS.

“The rest of the story has to be written yet, and there are eight great teams here all vying for the same thing,” Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall said. “Our league already has made its mark by four teams being here.”

ACC teams Clemson, Georgia Tech and North Carolina are joined in Bracket 1 by Cal State Fullerton.

The other ACC team, Miami, is in Bracket 2.

The Tigers, Yellow Jackets, Tar Heels and Hurricanes breezed through regionals and super regionals with a combined record of 19-1.

“The telltale will be what happens out here and whether or not an ACC team can do well and continue to advance,” North Carolina coach Mike Fox said.

If an ACC team wins the national title, it will be the league’s first since Wake Forest won it in 1955.

North Carolina coach Mike Fox pitches during batting practice. The Tar Heels tuned up for the College World Series Thursday in Omaha, Neb.

Miami coach Jim Morris said the league is much stronger than it was when he was in the ACC as an assistant at Florida State (1980-81) and head coach at Georgia Tech (1982-93). The Hurricanes joined the ACC last year.

“To say four teams from the ACC come to this with all the teams (nationally) emphasizing baseball, it’s absolutely amazing,” Morris said. “It’s due to the emphasis by the administrations, the quality of the coaching, recruiting, the players. All that has to come together, plus you have to be lucky.”

Bracket 1 double-elimination play opens today with Clemson (52-14) playing No. 8 national seed Georgia Tech (50-16) and No. 5 Fullerton (48-13) playing North Carolina (50-13).

First-round games Saturday in Bracket 2 match No. 2 Rice (55-11) against No. 7 Georgia (47-21) and Oregon State (44-14) against Miami (41-22).

Bracket winners meet in a best-of-three championship series starting June 24.

Clemson is bidding to become the first No. 1 seed to win the championship since Miami in 1999.

“At this point in the year, there’s not a No. 1 favorite going into this tournament,” Tigers coach Jack Leggett said. “You’re dealing with the eight hottest teams in college baseball right now. It’s just a matter of who can continue to stay hot.”

The Tigers, the ACC regular-season and tournament champions, split six games with the Yellow Jackets this season.

Clemson has hit 10 home runs in five tournament games, four by second baseman Taylor Harbin. The most dramatic was Tyler Colvin’s game-winning, ninth-inning grand slam against Oral Roberts in the first game of super regionals.

Georgia Tech comes in with the highest-scoring team in the field, having averaged 8.9 runs a game for the season. The Yellow Jackets scored 40 in a three-game home series with Clemson, including a 22-4 victory over the Tigers on April 16. Catcher-pitcher Matt Wieters is leading the Yellow Jackets in the tournament, reaching base in 20 of 26 plate appearances and batting .647.

North Carolina, at the CWS for the first time since 1989, and Fullerton feature two of the best pitching staffs in the nation.

The Tar Heels have first-round draft picks in Andrew Miller (13-2) and Daniel Bard (8-3).

The Titans’ team ERA of 2.57 is best in the nation. Wes Roemer, Lauren Gagnier and Dustin Miller all have 12 or more wins and ERAs under 3.00. All-American closer Vinnie Pestano went out with an arm injury in May, but Ryan Paul and Cory Arbiso have a combined four saves in five opportunities since.

Georgia has been well-

tested on its way to Omaha, surviving five elimination games in the tournament. The Bulldogs are led by first baseman Josh Morris, whose 23 home runs rank second nationally.

Rice, in the CWS for the fifth time in 10 years, comes in with wins in 37 of its last 40 games. The Owls hit nine home runs in their last three games.

Oregon State is making its second straight CWS appearance and third overall. The Beavers are 0-4 and have been outscored 35-12 all-time at the CWS.

Beavers coach Pat Casey said he used more than 30 different lineups this season because of injuries.

“Last year we didn’t have one injury and everything fell in place,” he said. “Maybe it made us a little tougher this year. The path seemed a little more difficult.”

Same goes for Miami, which made it to the CWS for the 10th time in 13 years. The Hurricanes, who start four freshmen, had to travel to Lincoln, Neb., for regionals and then to Oxford, Miss., for supers.

“We’re very, very fortunate to be here,” Morris said. “This is the toughest road Miami has ever had to get to Omaha.”