Olivia Dunne was all decked out in custom Pittsburgh Pirates merchandise to cheer on her boyfriend Paul Skenes in his MLB debut.
The 2023 No. 1 MLB Draft pick, one of the most hyped pitchers in recent years, will make his first MLB start for the Pirates on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park and girlfriend Dunne will give her full support.
The LSU gymnast is expected to hit the stands Saturday night after arriving in Pittsburgh with the right-hander earlier this week after being called up.
And there will be no doubt who she’s rooting for, as the social media sensation shared photos of herself posing in a custom Pirate jacket.
The bowling jacket came in Pittsburgh colors and was made of a black shiny fabric with white and yellow cuffs and trims and gold and white stars stitched onto one sleeve.
Olivia Dunne was all decked out in custom Pirates merchandise to cheer on Paul Skenes
Dunne also shared a photo of additional Skenes-themed “ultimate swag” she received
The right-hander will make his first MLB start for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday
It was personalized with Skenes’ name stamped in gold block letters on the other sleeve and his signature splashed on the back.
Dunne also shared a photo of additional “ultimate swag” she received from clothing brand Tiny Turnip, including t-shirts, cardigans and a denim jacket with Skenes’ last name, number and picture on it.
Skenes received the call on Wednesday with the Pirates tease the news with a video on social media, next to the date 5.11.24.
The pitcher’s social media sensation girlfriend quickly took to TikTok to congratulate her MLB boyfriend on his call-up.
The 21-year-old shared a short video of herself dancing up and down with joy as Skene could be seen in the background. She captioned the post: ‘Go Paul go!’
She also used the perfect sound for the occasion, choosing the recent meme that says, “Let’s [expletive] go…I guess?’
The gymnast also wrote, “POV: You both wake up from a nap and find out he’s in the MLB,” at the top of the video.
‘Here we go! @paulskenes @MLB,” Dunne also wrote on Instagram alongside the Pirates announcement video.
The couple, who met at LSU, first made their romance public in August
The social media sensation celebrated her boyfriend’s call-up to the majors this week
The couple, who met at LSU, first made their romance public in August after gymnastics sensation Dunne was spotted at Skenes’ games for minor league team the Bradenton Marauders, and they’ve only gone from strength to strength since.
Speaking to MLB Network ahead of his debut, Skenes said Dunne has helped him immensely when it comes to dealing with pressure.
“It’s been great, she’s helped me in a lot of ways with how to manage all the hype, I think, and how to manage everything that goes into the life of a professional athlete, because she’s kind of lived it. So it was great,” Skenes said.
The right-hander burst into the national consciousness last year while at Louisiana State University, where he was named D1 National Player of the Year and won the College World Series.
The 6-foot-4 pitcher was under scrutiny long before his call-up to the major leagues, thanks to his performance on the mound and his relationship with Dunne.
The gymnast and MLB prospect have attended college football and NFL games together
Skenes said Dunne has helped him immensely when it comes to dealing with pressure
Skenes turned heads with his performances in the minors, where he added new weapons to his arsenal en route to recording a 0.99 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings with Triple-A Indianapolis.
Him recently allowed his first ever home run in a professional baseball game while pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates‘Triple-A branch.
Skenes, 21, gave up a solo home run to Buffalo outfielder Will Robertson – a Toronto Blue Jays prospect – in the fifth inning of an 8-3 victory for the Indianapolis Indians on Sunday against the Bisons.
Skenes is branded by some as the best pitcher since Stephen Strasburg. Dunne, meanwhile, helped LSU win a national championship her senior year.
