For N.C. State, it's a series against Florida State that could have postseason implications.

The Heels and Wolfpack are in Florida for their final ACC regular-season series, which begin today in Miami and Tallahassee. While Carolina has all but assured itself of hosting an NCAA Tournament regional, the Pack is out to solidify its bid to bring an NCAA regional to Doak Field.

Talk about perfect scheduling and a showcase series. Miami's Hurricanes are ranked No. 1 in the nation and the Tar Heels No. 2.

"No. 1 versus No. 2. It doesn't get any better than that until you get to the national championship game," UNC pitcher Rob Wooten said Tuesday after the Heels' 4-1 win over Winthrop. "It's going to be a great atmosphere."

Carolina (43-9, 20-6 ACC) is the ACC's defending champion but needs a three-game sweep at Mark Light Field to move past the Canes (42-6, 22-3) and win the ACC's Coastal Division for the third straight year.

UNC coach Mike Fox, while not downplaying the significance of a division title, said bigger things lie ahead -- next week's ACC Baseball Championship in Jacksonville, Fla., then an expected NCAA regional and possible Super Regional at the Heels' "home" field, the USA Baseball National Complex in Cary.

"I don't think we have any pressure on us because of what we've done to this point," Fox said of the Miami series. "I don't know that we can really help ourselves or hurt ourselves. I think we want to go show we can play with the best team in the country."

The 20th-ranked Wolfpack (36-16, 17-9) can help itself at Florida State but is facing a team ranked third in some national polls. The Seminoles are 44-8 overall, have clinched the Atlantic Division at 22-5 and lead the ACC in batting average, runs and slugging.

The Wolfpack won its last nonconference game Tuesday at Doak Field, trailing N.C. A&T 5-0 before surging to a 17-6 victory. State, which bashed four homers, scored eight two-out runs in the fifth to take the lead and added seven runs in the eighth.

While some might call it a nondescript win, NCSU coach Elliott Avent said a loss to the Aggies would have harmed the Pack's chances when the NCAA baseball committee meets to sort through the regional bids.

"When they sit in that room and try to pick 16 teams [to host regionals], probably 10 or so are locks and maybe there are another 10 teams for the other six spots," he said. "So they say, 'Well, they didn't do this.' They look at what you didn't do as opposed to what we feel like we've already done. We feel like our season has dictated we deserve a regional."

Avent, doing a little more stumping, noted State was guaranteed the fourth seed in the ACC tournament. He noted the league is No. 1 in versions of the Ratings Percentage Index.

"We can't control whether we host or not," he said. "As you go to Florida State and into the ACC tournament and into the regional, you want to be playing your best baseball. You want to be healthy. You want to be playing with a lot of confidence. I feel like we're playing really, really well."

Few teams are playing better than Carolina, which has won 18 of its past 20 games overall and 10 of its past 12 in the ACC, including two of three against Florida State. The Heels' 2.28 earned-run average is the best in the nation, and UNC is hitting .326, which would rank as a school record.

Carolina reached the championship round of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., each of the last two years, falling short of an NCAA title both times. But this team, catcher Tim Federowicz said, may be better.

"I think we're in a lot better shape," said the junior from Apex. "We definitely have all the pitching we need. We have all the position players. All our batters could be four-hole batters at any other school. We have pitchers who could be aces at other schools and some pitching in relief that could be starters at other schools."

Then again, Miami has several potential high major league draft choices in its lineup. And the Canes have the home-field edge for the showdown series.

"We kind of knew it would be us two at the top of the polls," Federowicz said. "So now we've got to go down there and prove we're the better team and maybe we'll get a better seed in the tournament.

"We're both teams that will be in the postseason. We might see them in Omaha one day."