Paul Skenes and his girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, were present inside the Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, NE, to showcase their support and cheer for the LSU Tigers during game 8 of the 2025 NCAA championship. The Tigers took on the UCLA Bruins on June 16 in an attempt to advance to game 12 of the competition.
The Tigers prevailed 9-5 in a hard-fought battle against the Bruins and will now take on the winners of the game between the Bruins and the Arkansas Razorbacks in the next round of the NCAA championships. Skenes had previously led the Tigers program to claim the 2023 College World Series, which was the seventh title in their franchise history.
Paul Skenes Made the Most of His Pirates’ Off Day by Joining Olivia Dunne to Cheer for the LSU Tigers
The Pittsburgh Pirates had an off day on Monday, and Skenes made the most of his free time by joining Dunne in Omaha, NE, and witnessing his alma mater face the Bruins in the run-up to the 2025 College World Series. The official Instagram page of MLB Fits shared some highlights of Dunne and Skenes enjoying their time with the fans at the local pub and at the ballpark in a social media post on Tuesday.
The caption on the post read, “Paul Skenes saw Livvy Dunne having a great time at the College World Series and decided to spend his off day joining in on the fun.”
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Skenes is no spectator to the College World Series. He made the transfer from the Air Force Academy to LSU in June 2022 and was determined to win the silverware before he could take the next step in becoming a pro. Not only did Skenes lead the team to the title, but he was also named the College World Series MVP and was also the strikeout leader in 2023.
His amazing pitching variability and great command from the mound didn’t go unnoticed as the Pirates selected him first overall in the 2023 MLB draft and gave him a $9.2 million signing bonus. Now, Skenes is in year two of his big league journey after having completed a remarkable rookie season last year, which saw him win the NL ROY honors.
Skenes Will be Fired Up For His Next Start in Detroit
Skenes is set to make the 16th start of his 2025 campaign in the series finale against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on June 19. He is currently 4-6 for the campaign with an ERA of 1.78, 97 strikeouts, and a 0.85 WHIP. Skenes has been fairly dominant with his outings this year and has largely continued the positive momentum from the previous season.
Currently, Skenes is also leading the charts in the NL Cy Young voting and will most likely earn back-to-back All-Star nods to feature for the NL All-Stars in the Midsummer Classic to be played at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA, on Jul 15.