BRADENTON, Pa. — Sitting down with Pirates pitching phenom Paul Skenes, it’s hard to believe the poised young man is only 22 years old. In that time, he’s attended the Air Force Academy, got a college degree from LSU, was the first pick in the MLB draft and was named MLB Rookie of the Year.

And Skenes is the first to tell you, he’s only getting started.

WPXI’s Shelby Cassesse traveled to Bradenton, Florida for Pirates Spring Training just to sit down with Skenes and find out what makes him tick. The answer is staying steady and winning the day.

“We have a baseball family. My dad played, I think, until high school. He didn’t play at any higher level, but my family’s always been fans on both my dad’s and mom’s sides,” Skenes said. “That was kind of the sport that they introduced me to first. I just fell in love with it and have been doing it ever since.”

Skenes grew up in Lake Forest, California, the middle child bookended by two sisters. In high school, he played varsity baseball and in addition to pitching, he also caught and played 3rd base. His senior year was shortened by COVID-19, but Skenes graduated with a 4.76 GPA and racked up numerous awards and honors.

Through it all, Skenes said he had plenty of inspiration and support, first from his family.

“My family played whiffle ball. My dad would throw to me every day, play catch with me. Every day he’d hit ground balls for me, fly balls, all that. So that was where I got it on the personal side,” Skenes said.

And from those he wished to follow into the majors.

“I grew up an Angels fan, so Mike Trout was the guy for me growing up,” Skenes reflected. “I was born in 2002 when they won the World Series. I remember his debut. I remember him making that sweet catch at Camden Yards over the wall.”

In his junior of college, Skenes committed to attend the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was inspired by his uncles.

“I had seen the impact that it had on a couple uncles who served, so I grew up watching them, I grew up seeing them and how they conduct themselves,” Skenes reflected. “Also, running into people who served that kind of thing, that’s just what I wanted to do.”

Skenes added when he arrived at the academy, he came in contact with so many other people who served who enforced his desire to help his country.

“I met all these unbelievable individuals who elevated me. They make me better because I’m around them all the time,” Skenes said. “The military has given a lot to me in terms of life experiences, lifestyle, routines and all. And we can never repay what they do. They put their lives on the line for us.”

Skenes said his biggest lesson from the academy was to stay present and in the moment – something that has served him in baseball as well. He added the Air Force Academy, and his coaches confirmed his belief that how you do anything is how you do everything, especially in stressful times.

“I can say it now, I scored a 35% on my first organic chemistry test at Air Force. And when I got to the field, our test scores are posted on the locker room door because our head coach and coaching staff decided that this is important. This is what we’re going to pay attention to and we’re going to hold you accountable,” Skenes said. “Everyone who had an impact on me there helped me know what matters and what doesn’t.”

Paul Skenes credits his family making him the baseball player he is today

‘At a Crossroads’

After two years at the academy, Skenes faced a crossroads. He had won the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year award, was a first-team All-American, and in 2022, he won the Joh Olerud Award as the nation’s best two-way player. With his baseball career taking off, he realized he had a choice to make. Serve or play the game he loves.

“My sophomore year it was like, I’m kind of at a decision point. And now is when I basically get one shot to play baseball in my whole life, and I get a bunch of opportunities to serve in the military. You can do it when you’re old or when you’re young. So that was kind of the mindset about transferring out of there,” Skenes said.

Skenes entered the NCAA transfer portal after his sophomore season and in just a few weeks announced he was enrolling at LSU. He led the Tigers to a college baseball championship his senior year, and racked up numerous awards, including National Pitcher of the Year and College World Series Most Outstanding Player. Skenes also broke LSU’s record for strikeouts in a single season at 203.

But one experience at LSU drastically changed his life and continues to do so. That’s where he met his girlfriend, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne. They met through mutual friends and confirmed their relationship during the summer of 2023.

“She’s helped me think about baseball when I need to and not think about it when I don’t need to,” Skenes said with a smile.

Dunne had a huge social media presence even before meeting Skenes, which helped her become one of the highest-paid women in sports once the NCAA ruled athletes can profit off their name, image and likeness. Dunne’s estimated earnings through NIL exceed $4 million.

Skenes admitted Dunne helped him navigate that world.

“She dealt with the attention and the notoriety, and that kind of thing longer than I have. So having her around when it happened to me was really good. It’s kind of one of those things where you don’t know how to tell someone to do it, but you can show them how to do it. And she showed me how to do it from a very early point in my career,” Skenes said.

Skenes is a regular at LSU gymnastics meets in the off-season. There even are TikTok videos of him trying different gymnastic apparatus or flips. All providing a glimpse into their relationship and the competitiveness that runs through both of them.

“It’s great. It’s an intense sport. I didn’t know anything about the scoring system and that’s the kind of thing Livvy has taught me,” Skenes said.

Skenes admits he’s quite the gymnastics fan and has so much respect, not just for Livvy, but for the sport and the athletes.

“Gymnasts kind of go through it. It’s a physically intense sport and they work their tails off,” Skenes admired.

Paul Skenes explains how his passion for the military shapes who he is on the mound

‘Hard work pays off’

Hard work and intensity are traits Skenes knows well. He’s known on the mound for his calm demeanor and discipline, no matter what is going on around him. It’s what has helped lead to so much success already with the Pirates in such a short period of time. He credits, in part, his upbringing.

“If you look at my dad during the games, I think you’ll see a lot of his characteristics in how he watches. I think you’ll see a lot of that in me. And I think the same thing with my mom,” Skenes said.

So how does a young man who, in his first half-season in the big leagues, became the starting pitcher in the All-Star game and set a new franchise record for strikeouts, follow it up?

“I think the goal for us, as the rotation, is to be the best in the league. There’s no reason that we can’t say it’s not going to happen. We have to go out there and make it happen,” Skenes stressed.

Skenes added, for the Pirates to have success they have to create it from the inside and inspire the guys already in the clubhouse to make it happen.

“It’s not something where we’re making moves all off-season to create a starting rotation. We have the tools. We have really good stuff. We know how to compete and now it’s just a matter of making it happen and doing it,” Skenes said. “And again, the opportunity to create it ourselves, create a culture and identity from within. It’s really a unique and cool opportunity.”

That response falls in line with Pirates GM Ben Cherrington’s recent comments. He stated he’d like Skenes to set the standard for his teammates on how to play and how to carry yourself. It’s a challenge Skenes is up to, but as a team.

“It starts with me, it starts with Mitch, it starts with Jared, and then we build momentum to get other guys on board and just continue to raise the bar. And that’s the way I think we’re all looking at it. It starts with the work that we’re doing every day. We have to buy in,” Skenes said. “Again, it’s how you do anything is how you do everything. It wouldn’t work if I’m the only guy who works hard.”

Skenes also addressed winning the small moments. He acknowledged the number of one-run losses last season, and stressed it’s a focus for the team to overcome that. He believes it starts with the pitching core.

“We kind of struggled as a team when the starting rotation struggled a little bit,” Skenes admitted. “I think we’re going to have to pace the team again. It’s our strength, and we have a unique opportunity to create it. We’re going to win on the margins. We need to win those one-run games.”

Skenes described that mentality as in line with the Pirates and the city of Pittsburgh.

“It’s a reflection of the city. Pittsburgh is a gritty, blue-collar city and that’s what our identity needs to be. We need to out-compete the other team. Regardless of who’s in or the players we acquire, that’s what we need to do. We need to create it from within the locker room and do it ourselves,” Skenes stressed.

Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes talks about his mindset for season ahead in exclusive interview

‘Pittsburgh’s Love’

Skenes admits he didn’t know much about Pittsburgh before the Pirates drafted him. He said growing up on the West Coast, he wasn’t a Pirates fan, and didn’t have any connection to the city. That changed quickly when he got here, saw the city and felt the love of the entire fan base.

“It’s good people. It’s a sports city and you see it in the character of the fans,” Skenes said. “It’s a big city, but it’s smaller, and you can kind of see that in the people who show up to the games. It’s a different character of fan, and I like it a lot.”

Skenes also added he appreciates the love the city has thrown at him, and his family, and that all started when the Pirates called him up to the big squad on May 11, 2024. He’s hoping the squad can bring the fans more reasons to cheer this season.

“It’s a great city. It’s a sports city. I like to think they embrace winners, and they embrace winning, so that’s the goal to bring that to the city,” Skenes said smiling. “Obviously what we had last year was really cool. I think this year we’re going to build on what we had last year. That’s probably the best way to describe it.”

It’s expected Skenes will start the Pirates’ first game of the season March 27 on the road against the Miami Marlins. The Pirates home opener against the New York Yankees is set for Friday, April 4 at PNC Park.

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