Photo: Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes captures girlfriend Olivia Dunne fishing during outing
Pittsburgh Pirates ace pitcher Paul Skenes enjoyed a much-needed day off on Thursday after dominating in his most recent start against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on Monday. He registered his fourth win of the campaign against them. Skenes, along with girlfriend Olivia Dunne, were observed in a raft enjoying the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh.
Skenes captured the moment when Dunne was attempting to catch a fish in the backwaters using a fishing rod with a smile on her face. Skenes shared the image on his Instagram story, tagging her as well.
Take a look at the image here:
Both Dunne and Skenes were star athletes in their respective sporting domains with the LSU Tigers. It was the grounds of the university where the duo met for the first time after Skenes transferred from the United States Military Academy to LSU in 2023.
While Olivia Dunne won her maiden NCAA gymnastics championship in her senior year with the Tigers in April 2024, Paul Skenes won the NCAA College World Series with LSU a year before and exploded into the MLB as the No. 1 overall pick in the same year.
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed the 6-foot-6 searing strike thrower and gave him a $9.6 million signing bonus. Skenes spent less than half a season playing for the Pirates' single-A and double-A minor league teams last year before starting on the roster of the Indianapolis Indians (triple-A affiliates) in 2024.
Impressing the staff in Pittsburgh with his impeccable outings in the MiLB meant that manager Derek Shelton had seen enough and soon promoted Skenes to the big leagues, and the 22-year-old has been simply dominating since making his first start in May 2024.
Olivia Dunne has been present for all but one of Skenes' starts this season and was recently seen cheering him on during his latest start against the Reds on Monday.
Olivia Dunne cheers on Paul Skenes while enjoying the suite lifestyle at PNC Park
On Monday, Dunne shared multiple images on her Snapchat stories showcasing the suite life while cheering for Skenes during his latest start at PNC Park against the Cincinnati Reds in their three-game series.
Paul Skenes gave up just one run and struck out seven batters to help the Pirates win the series opener 4-1. He is set to make his next start in the series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays at PNC Park on Sunday.