Pirates' Paul Skenes Faces LSU Teammate For First Time
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes has faced numerous MLB batters over the past year, but he'll face one that served as an important part of his past for the very first time.
Skenes takes on the Washington Nationals on April 14, with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m., and batting seventh in the lineup is center fielder Dylan Crews.
The two excelled in their sole season together at LSU in 2023, leading to a College World Series Title.
Crews spoke before the game about this first meeting against Skenes at the MLB level and that he can't wait to face him.
"I'm excited," Crews said. "It's something that we've been looking forward to for a while now. He's a good buddy of mine. We've had some good history with each other. I'm just excited for this day, it's gonna be fun."
Skenes, who transferred in from Air Force the season prior, had a 13-2 record in 19 starts, 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings pitched, gave up just 23 earned runs and seven earned runs, while making 209 strikeouts to just 20 walks for LSU that season.
He would win the National Pitcher of the Year Award, the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the best player in college baseball, and earned College World Series Most Outstanding Player honors.
Crews slashed .426/.567/.713 for an OPS of 1.280, with 110 hits, 16 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, 70 RBIs and 71 walks to 46 strikeouts for the Tigers. He earned First Team All-American honors and won SEC Player of the Year for his performances.
Both players didn't face each other much during their time at LSU, with their coach not wanting that, but Crews knows how good of a pitcher Skenes is and he's ready for the matchup.
"I think maybe a couple times," Crews said. "I know our coach didn't really want us matching up against each other. That was kind of before he exploded into the pitcher he's become. He's on another planet right now. It was some good matchups in the past. All that's in the past for a reason now and we just gotta focus on now."
The LSU duo were the top prospects in the 2023 MLB Draft, with the Pirates taking Skenes No. 1 overall and then the Nationals taking Crews right after.
Skenes made it up to the MLB on May 11 and would go on to have an incredible season, starting the All-Star Game for the National League, winning NL Rookie of the year, making the All-MLB First Team and finishing third in NL Cy Young voting.
Crews also made his MLB debut last season, doing so on August 26 and is now a mainstay with the Nationals. He credited his and Skenes' early call-ups to playing at LSU and the hard work they put in.
"Yeah, definitely appreciate it for sure," Crews said. "It just shows the history of LSU really and the athletes that come out of there. We've both worked really hard to get to this point. Like I said, he's an unbelievable pitcher. Just very happy for what he's accomplished so far."
Skenes has a rigorous, planned routine, he engages in during every pre-game before he makes a start.
Crews respects his dedication to the sport, and while he didn't get a chance to talk to Skenes before the game, he praised him for his work ethic and for the great times at LSU.
“He works really hard every day. Totally locked into his routines and all that. He’s just an unbelievable teammate. Definitely cherish those moments we had, for sure.”
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.