Two years after helping lead LSU to a national championship, Paul Skenes is going back to Omaha. This time, he’ll be experiencing the College World Series as a fan.
The right-handed flamethrower is now 1 of the major league’s best pitchers, winning the National League Rookie of the Year in 2024 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He’s off to a stellar start again in 2025, even if his 4-6 record doesn’t show it. Skenes is disapproving the old sophomore jinx adage, but on Monday night it looks like he’s going to take a break from the major-league grind to return to the scene of his greatest college glory.
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Skenes, who also made the National League All-Star team during his historical rookie season, is planning on attending LSU’s College World Series showdown against UCLA on Monday night in Omaha. The matchup of Saturday’s winning teams is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. According to a report by The Advocate on Sunday, Skenes is going to use a very well-timed day off for the Pirates on Monday to head to Omaha to watch his alma mater as the Tigers try to win their 2nd CWS crown in 3 years.
The Pirates finished a weekend series against the Cubs on Sunday afternoon in Chicago, and they will resume play on Tuesday night in Detroit against the Tigers. It works out so perfectly for Skenes, who isn’t scheduled to pitch again until Thursday afternoon in Detroit.
If Skenes does indeed attend on Monday night, it will provide a shot in the arm (no pun intended) to LSU, which is coming off an impressive 4-1 victory over Arkansas in its CWS opener on Saturday night.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
