If you are listing down the names of pitchers who are doing great this season, and Paul Skenes doesn’t feature on it, I bet you haven’t seen enough of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ golden arm. Ever since he stepped on the mound this season, Skenes has been nothing short of extraordinary. And the stats speak for themselves, no?
Paul Skenes has 1.78 ERA and 96.0 IP. He even recorded 97 strikeouts this season with a 0.85, which is massive. But as terrific as he has been, he sits at 4-6, thanks to little to no support from the Pirates’ offence. Thankfully, he is up for some crucial downtime to get his mind off MLB blues. And what better way to spend it than a visit to his alma mater, where it all started.
Now, if everything goes to plan, Paul Skenes will likely be there to support LSU from the stands. In a post shared by LSU baseball insider Koki Riley of The Advocate, he wrote, “A source has told The Advocate that Paul Skenes plans on attending Monday’s game in Omaha between #LSU and UCLA. The Pirates don’t play on Monday. They start a series with Detroit on Tuesday.”
A source has told The Advocate that Paul Skenes plans on attending Monday’s game in Omaha between #LSU and UCLA.
The Pirates don’t play on Monday. They start a series with Detroit on Tuesday.
— Koki Riley (@KokiRiley) June 15, 2025
Paul Skenes does not want to lose out on this opportunity to catch a glimpse of his team from college days fighting against UCLA. The matchup between the two teams in the College World Series will start at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, and Skenes, who isn’t scheduled to pitch until Thursday, will be rooting for his team to win the title for the second time within just three years.
The last time Paul Skenes was part of the pitching unit for LSU, they managed to lift the Men’s College World Series championship. And guess what, he emerged as the Most Outstanding Player that season. If only he could play this time, too!
However, the Pirates’ ace’s presence at the stadium during the Monday night game will give them a major boost, for sure. LSU has just come off winning the CWS Game 4 against Arkansas by 4-1 on Saturday, in the presence of Olivia Dunne. And hopefully, they will be able to continue the winning momentum when Paul Skenes is there cheering for them. After all, he’d want to relive some of his old memories.
Reminiscing about the 2023 CWS win and Paul Skenes’ contribution
If you recall the Men’s College World Series Championship Series, it was a massive explosion of offense for the teams. After conceding a defeat in the second game, the LSU Tigers team bounced back stronger to lift the title. They managed to topple the Florida ship in the finale by 18-4, ultimately lifting the MCWS crown for the seventh time.
Paul Skenes used to be one of the top prospects at that time. He pitched 7 2/3 innings against Tennessee, where he allowed only two runs and struck out 12 batters. Skenes was equally good in the other games as well. No wonder; he was one of the reasons that the Tigers made it to the playoffs.
Source: Instagram/Paul Skenes
However, the Tigers didn’t need much support from the ace pitcher in the finale. There was no reason to worry him because LSU was able to build a significant lead against Florida. But the energy he retained was well put into some other work, though. Right after the win, Skenes took their catcher, Alex Milazzo, to the field, joining others in the celebration. It was a great gesture from him, as Milazzo was unable to move due to a fractured shin.
Now, the player who stood out that season was Dylan Crews, one of the top draft prospects. He slashed .426/.567/.713 and also went 4-for-6 while scoring a triple. Quite expectedly, Crews was named the best college baseball player in 2023.
While this game brings back a lot of memories from the college days for Paul Skenes, he will surely be waiting to see how the Monday night game unfolds. Even the fans cannot wait anymore to catch a glimpse of their favorite star making it back here to rally LSU vs. UCLA.
The post Paul Skenes Set for Epic Return on Pirates Day Off to Rally LSU vs UCLA 2 Years After Triumphant CWS appeared first on EssentiallySports.
