No. 1 Texas Kicking Off Crucial Week Against Prairie View A&M

The vibes have arguably not been higher in Austin this season than they currently are, and for good reason. Fresh off a three-game sweep of the Texas A&M Aggies, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns (37-5) are sitting pretty in the SEC.

They find themselves holding 19-2 record and a commanding five-game lead over second place with only nine conference games left to go. For now, though, the Longhorns must turn their attention to another midweek foe -- the Prairie View A&M Panthers (11-31).

Texas Longhorns infielder Jayden Duplantier (0) throws the ball to first during the Lone Star Showdown against Texas A&M. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How to watch/listen:

Tuesday April 29 at 6:30 p.m. CT - SEC Network+/TexasSports.com/Audio

A look at Prairie View A&M's season so far -

Prairie View A&M by the numbers:

Record - 11-31

Runs scored - 231

Runs allowed - 394

Team Avg. - .262

Team Avg. against - .296

Team ERA - 9.35

Prairie View A&M wins this game if...

It can take a page out of the book of teams who have made life difficult for the Longhorns in midweek games. Doing so means forcing plenty of pitching changes and turning the game into a slog, and thus taking advantage of Texas' desire to focus on lesser-used bullpen arms to preserve their key guys for conference play.

Of course that will be much, much easier said than done. The Panthers this season have struggled to find consistency at the plate and on the mound, making this a particularly tough uphill battle. That being said, though, anything can happen and if they can follow the recipe others have shown to be successful then they could manage the upset.

Texas wins this game if...

It can play a clean, mistake free game without looking ahead to a daunting opponent looming on the horizon. On paper this is indeed a game the Longhorns should have no issue winning. However, anything can happen in college baesball -- especially when it comes to the midweek contests.

If there's any team that is keenly aware of the chaos that midweek games represents, its Texas. Two of the Longhorns' five losses this season have come in a Tuesday night upset, while they narrowly avoided a third last week against Texas State. As long as they remain dialed in and take care of business, they should be able to take this game.