5 things to know for the College World Series Finals

It's down to two.

On Monday, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and University of Arizona Wildcats will engage in one of the more unlikely championship matchups in NCAA history when the College World Series Finals gets underway at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb. at 7:00 p.m ET.

Coastal Carolina is making its first trip to the final in school history, while Arizona will appear for the eighth time and first since 2012.

Here are five things to know ahead of the decisive three-game series:

Will Arizona's ace be OK to pitch?

Arizona ace Nathan Bannister looked untouchable for three innings against Oklahoma State on Friday, striking out five hitters through 2 2/3 innings before a forearm injury forced him from the game. The Wildcats' senior, who was recently selected in the 28th round of the MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners, hasn't been ruled out for the series, though his status remains up in the air.

Alex Cunningham has been clutch

A big part of Coastal Carolina's success is right-hander Alex Cunningham, who has won 18 of his last 22 decisions and pitched the Chanticleers into the CWS Finals on three days rest with 6 1/3 solid innings of work. The victory improved the Detroit Tigers' draft pick to 10-4 this season, and earned the praise of his coaching staff.

"Honestly I was very impressed, I thought he pitched really well - probably as well as he’s pitched all year with the stuff that he had,” coach Gary Gilmore told Ryan Young of Myrtle Beach Online. "He didn’t have plus velocity. He sat about 87-90, which is probably the bottom end of where he’s been all year long, but he also had some command of his breaking ball, he added and subtracted off of it, he threw his change-up enough. He forced them to honor three pitches, and that’s what slowed them down."

Cunningham is expected to start at some point during the series.

Can Coastal Carolina slow down Zach Gibbons?

There isn't a single hitter on either team performing better than Arizona outfielder Zach Gibbons, who owns a .385 average coming into Monday's contest. Gibbons carried his season success into the opening rounds of the CWS, where he went 9-for-19 with seven runs batted in and several timely hits. The Wildcats senior was particularly key during Arizona's clinching win over Oklahoma State on Saturday, when he collected a pair of hits and had 3 RBIs in the 5-1 win.

Coastal Carolina's top 5 in the order

Coastal Carolina may be the Cinderella story of the CWS, but it's not all magic and rainbows that have put this squad into the final. After all, the Chanticleers' lineup boasts five of the hottest hitters in college baseball right now.

Recent fourth round draft choice of the New York Mets Michael Paez leads off a lineup which boasts MLB draft picks among its first five hitters, who are all hitting close to, or over .300 this season. The Chanticleers' top five has also been getting on base at an exceptional clip, with on-base percentages ranging from .378 to as high as .469.

Do it for Josh

The Wildcats aren't just playing for another National title in the CWS. They're also playing their hearts out for one special individual. Josh Weaver, a 17-year-old Wildcats fan, died of cancer prior to the season and the team has dedicated their year to the young friend of the squad.

"This season is definitely dedicated to him," second baseman Cody Ramer said. "He was a special part of this team, and he's still with us now."

Weaver has been a huge piece of inspirational motivation for the Wildcats, who've made it a habit of pulling off unlikely comebacks, such as scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to rally for a 6-5 win and series victory over a ranked UCLA opponent in March. The Wildcats said the win was for Josh.

“(Weaver’s) tradition will be carried on with all of us,” Jimmy Van Ostrand, Arizona’s director of player development, told Ryan Kelapire of the Daily Wildcat after the exciting victory in March.