After winning its mid-week contest against UT-Arlington on Tuesday afternoon, the Aggie baseball team now faces its tallest task of the season thus far.

No. 2 A&M will travel to Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge to take on the newly appointed No. 1 LSU Tigers in a pivotal SEC weekend series. The Aggies and Tigers are tied atop the SEC, and the winner of this series will have sole possession of first place in the conference.

Also, the winner will likely garner the No. 1 ranking in the country come Monday morning. LSU has won 10 of the last 13 meetings, but the series is tied 3-3 since A&M joined the SEC.

The Tigers (35-6, 12-5 SEC) have one of the league’s most prolific offenses. Connor Hale leads the team with 36 RBIs, but three other players in the lineup also have well over 30 RBIs this season. Alex Bregman and Jared Foster are threats at the plate, both tallying eight home runs this year. Bregman is also a potential problem on the base path, going 24-for-28 on stolen base attempts this season.

LSU leads the conference in batting average this season, posting a .320 team average so far. The Tigers have won 12 of their last 13 games, including a three-game sweep at Alabama.

Texas A&M (36-5, 12-5 SEC) has an offensive powerhouse of its own. The Aggies lead the league with 47 home runs, and leading that charge is the hottest bat in the Aggie lineup, Logan Taylor. He has 10 home runs this year, but did not register a hit in the Tuesday win. A&M will need Taylor to keep hot in this series.

Also on a streak is Nick Banks. The All-American has lived up to the hype this season, reaching base safely in all 40 games he has played, and has a pair of 13-game hitting streaks.

Thursday evening, Aggie ace Grayson Long will get the start for A&M. The last outing for Long was a little rough against Arkansas, as he worked five innings, scattering six hits and five earned runs in the win to move to 8-0. Jared Poche will start on the hill for the Tigers. Game time is set for 6:35 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU.

Ryan Hendrix will get the nod for A&M on Friday night. In his first career start, Hendrix went 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out five Razorbacks in the process. LSU will send Alex Lange to the hill. First pitch will be thrown on the SEC Network at 7:05 p.m.

For A&M, Sunday’s starter has not yet been announced, though Matt Kent normally assumes the duties. Game three of the series will begin at 1:05 p.m. and will air on ESPN.

LSU is 22-5 at home this season, while A&M is 5-1 on the road this season.