Around The SEC: LSU Makes History As Tigers Are Drafted First and Second Overall In MLB Draft

LSU baseball stars Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews made history on Sunday night, as they became the first college teammates ever to be taken first and second overall in the MLB Draft.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, who held the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, took Skenes with the top pick. Crews would follow by being selected by the Washington Nationals, who held the second overall pick.

Just a few weeks ago, Skenes and Crews helped lead LSU to its seventh national title in the College World Series, defeating runner-up Florida in a dominant 18-4 winner-take-all victory in Game 3 of the College World Series Finals.

Skenes, a transfer pitcher from Air Force, became one of the most electric arms in college baseball. In 122 2/3 innings across 19 starts, Skenes had a 1.69 ERA with 209 strikeouts (averaging 15.3 strikeouts per nine innings) and only 20 walks.

In the College World Series, Skenes was named the Most Outstanding Player, posting 21 strikeouts and two earned runs allowed in 15 2/3 innings across two starts, en route to a national title in Omaha.

Meanwhile, Crews was also one of the best players in college baseball. With the Tigers, he posted a whopping 426/.567/.713 slash line, along with 18 homers and 71 walks against 41 strikeouts.

In all 71 games he played, Crews reached base at least once. His efforts earned him the 2023 Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the best player in college baseball.

Touted as possibly generational prospects leading up to the draft, Skenes and Crews are looking to help two organizations that have been struggling in recent years. It will be interesting to see how they develop within their respective organizations' farm systems.

Meanwhile, LSU becomes the only school in NCAA history to have a player drafted first overall across each of the four major professional sports drafts (NFL, NBA, MLB, and WNBA).