LSU gymnastics star Olivia Dunne was in attendance to watch her boyfriend Paul Skenes make his highly anticipated Major League Baseball debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. The duo attended LSU together when Skenes moved there after the United States Air Force Academy.

In her own words, she told the Pirates Broadcast, “I have so many amazing memories with him, but I know how hard he’s worked for this moment…Seriously, there’s nothing that can top this. I’m just so proud.” Though rain forced the game to be halted after the start, it did not dampen Olivia Dunne’s mood as she cheered for him from the stands. She even posted on social media expressing her nerves during the debut game. 

Olivia Dunne all praise for her boyfriend from the stands 

Olivia Dunne recently took to TikTok to express how she really feels about her boyfriend, Paul Skenes’ MLB debut. In the TikTok video, she lips to an audio saying, “Boyfriend. I’m nervous,” as she zooms out of a rainy pitch due to which the games were halted and postponed midway. In an interview during the match, she expressed that she had some initial nerves, but was able to channel that into excitement. She stated that she has the “most confidence” in Skenes and trusts in the hard work he has put in. Dunne said, “I just have the most confidence in him ever, so I trust in him and what he’s put in, and I’m just so excited.”

She also opened up about the life-changing moment when Paul Skenes got the call to join the Pirates in the majors, “All I can say is I think that’s the quickest I’ve ever packed in my life.” Talking about it, she added, “He was like, ‘let’s pack’ and then we hit the road. It was very exciting!” Dunne also wore a Skenes’s badge on her top and was impressed by the support from the Pittsburgh fans, noting that people were wearing his jerseys and LSU gear to show support for the couple. She said, “It’s amazing, the support here is awesome. Pittsburgh has been so welcoming.” It is needless to say that Olivia Dunne was overjoyed to witness her boyfriend Paul Skenes make his long-awaited MLB debut especially given how good of a run he had at the match. 

Paul Skenes, the third-best prospect in all of baseball, has a great MLB debut

Paul Skenes was the first overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft after he starred as the ace of the College World Series champion LSU Tigers. In his debut, he struck out seven Cubs over 4 innings, walking 2 and allowing 3 earned runs on 6 hits. One of the highlights of Skenes’ debut was his electric fastball, touching 100 mph on multiple occasions. In fact, he fired 17 pitches that reached 100 mph or higher, tying for the third-most in a season debut since 2008. Moreover, Skenes is ranked as the third-best prospect in baseball, signaling the high expectations for his future in the MLB. 

When he first signed on, he was given a joining bonus of $9.2 million – the highest ever for a drafted player. The investment shows just how truly the team believes in him. Skenes’ A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle had said, “I’ve been doing this for 33 years… and Paul Skenes are the best I’ve ever seen.” Pirates manager Derek Shelton also expressed his excitement to have Skenes with the major-league club, stating, “He deserves it. He’s proven that he needs to be in the big leagues.” Despite a 4-0 lead when Skenes exited the game, the Pirates ended up holding on for a 10-9 victory over the Cubs but Skenes definitely had an exceptional debut game.