MLB rookie sensation Paul Skenes had aspirations of being in the military before becoming a baseball star.
The Pittsburgh Pirates phenom pitcher, who was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, has decided not to enlist in the military and pursue his dream of playing professionally baseball while he was in college.
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The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Skenes is off to a stellar start in MLB after making his big league debut earlier this month.
In his last start, the 21-year-old struck out the first seven batters on his way to six hitless innings.
But Skenes was about to join the military when he attended the United States Air Force Academy.
Military service is performed in Skenes family as the California native has two uncles who served in the Navy.
Skenes also has an uncle who currently serves in the Coast Guard.
During his time in the Air Force, Skenes wanted to be an F-16 pilot.
He was a model cadet for two years.
Skenes also played college baseball for the program — and was a two-way star.
After his sophomore year, Skenes chose to continue with baseball and transfer to LSU.
He would become a prodigy with his 100 mph average fastball.
Skenes contributed to LSU’s victory in the 2023 College World Series by being named the final’s most outstanding player.
Fast forward to this week, and the Skenes Pirates will be celebrating the United States military this weekend.
Skenes will pay homage to his past and wear a pair of Nike custom military themed cleats.
The Pirates rookie is currently falling in love star LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne.
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Skenes and Dunne met at LSU last year.
Dunne appeared at the MLB rookie debut earlier this month in Pittsburgh.
She is expected to appear in her third game against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.
DUNNE AND SKENES’ SUMMER OF LOVE
Olivia Dunne and Paul Skenes managed to keep their relationship a secret before finally going public last summer.
The two met at LSU, but it’s unclear when they started dating.
Rumors of a romance began when Dunne watched LSU win the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, last summer.
And Dunne posted selfies from Fort Myers, Fla., where Skenes was playing.
He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and began his professional career playing in the minor leagues in the Sunshine State.
The final clue came when Dunne posed in a Pirates cap before the pair finally went public.
O social media influencer Dunne posted a selfie on Instagram on Tuesday that revealed she is in the city of Pittsburgh.
Dunne was seen wearing a Pirates cap and a little white tank top and wrote the caption, “back in the BURGH!”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
