LA COSTA CANYON HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

The CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m. at USD’s Fowler Park is between No. 1 La Costa Canyon (26-6) and No. 2 Rancho Bernardo (23-10).

Here is a quick guide with everything you need to know about the showdown:

Familiarity: If there has been one program that has been a thorn in the side of Rancho Bernardo over the years, it has been La Costa Canyon. The Mavericks own a pair of wins over the Broncos this season (5-1 on March 14; 4-2 on April 6), knocked them out of the playoffs last year in the Open Division semifinals, and beat them in the Division II title game in 2012, 7-6 in 10 innings. In fact, the Mavericks have beaten Rancho Bernardo in four of the last five meetings. In the last 23 games dating back to 2005, LCC owns a 12-11 advantage. LCC also beat Rancho Bernardo in the 2003 Division I title game 5-4 in eight innings.

How they rank: MaxPreps has the Mavericks ranked No. 12 in the state and No. 48 in the nation. The Broncos are No. 27 in the state and No. 127 in the nation.

How they got here: Rancho Bernardo and La Costa Canyon both went 3-0 in the postseason en route to the title game. The Broncos beat Torrey Pines 6-1, Cathedral Catholic 3-1 and then Torrey Pines again 16-1. LCC beat St. Augustine 5-1, Granite Hills 3-1 and then the Saints again 1-0.

Likely pitching matchup: Freshman Joey Magrisi (RB, 8-1) vs. Ethan Abrams (LCC, 9-1). The right-handed Magrisi has been dominant this season, posting an earned run average of 0.96 over 58 1/3 innings pitched. He has allowed just one earned run in his last three starts. Magrisi’s strength is his control. He pounds the strike zone early and often. He has 49 strikeouts to just six walks this season. Magrisi threw one inning against LCC on April 6, allowing no runs or hits while striking out one.

Abrams has not thrown since beating St. Augustine in the playoff opener on May 28. He collected his 23rd career victory in that one. The right-hander finished the regular season with an 8-1 record and a 1.33 ERA. He entered the postseason with 50 strikeouts to just 15 walks in 63 innings pitched. He threw a complete game against the Broncos on April 6, giving up just four hits and two earned runs while striking out six.

First out of the pen: RB ace Drew Finley threw just 57 pitches in Tuesday’s start and said he will likely be available for two innings on Saturday. The right-hander, who features a low-90s fastball and a devastating curveball, is expected to go in the first three rounds of the MLB Draft. Finley is 10-1 with a 0.84 ERA. He has 128 strikeouts in just 83 innings pitched. After Finley would likely be junior right-hander Cameron Gallaher, who has a 1.85 ERA in 22 2/3 innings pitched this year.

La Costa Canyon junior Brendan Kawaja will likely be first out of the pen. He got the win in LCC’s 3-1 victory over Granite Hills in the second round. Kawaja entered the postseason having thrown 55 1/3 innings and carrying a 1.27 ERA. He is 7-1. He threw six innings against Rancho Bernardo on March 14, giving up just four hits and one earned run.

Sweet-swinging lefties: LCC junior Mickey Moniak could be a top-10 pick in next year’s MLB Draft. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound left-handed hitting outfielder has a beautiful swing and all the tools. He is hitting .424 with 26 RBI, 26 runs, eight doubles and three triples.

RB sophomore Calvin Mitchell has been swinging a hot bat lately. The 6-foot, 190-pound, left-handed hitting USD-commit is batting .327 with six home runs and 31 RBI.

Broncos hot at the dish: Rancho Bernardo is young, but it appears its youth has finally caught on to varsity pitching. The Broncos have been swinging a hot bat lately, lighting up Torrey Pines for 16 runs on 19 hits on Tuesday. Everyone in the lineup had at least one hit. RB players attribute the late-season success to playing long pepper at practice.

History: Rancho Bernardo is trying to win its eighth San Diego Section championship and head coach Sam Blalock is going for his 12th, including the four he won at Mt. Carmel earlier in his career. The Broncos last won a section championship in 2013, beating Granite Hills 4-2 for the inaugural Open Division championship. This is the Broncos’ 12th title game appearance in their history.

La Costa Canyon fell to Granite Hills 3-0 in last year’s Open Division championship game. The Mavericks’ last section title came in 2012, the 7-6 win over Rancho Bernardo in 10 innings. La Costa Canyon has three championships in its history.