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Pittsburgh Pirates top pitching prospect Paul Skenes confirmed he's dating LSU gymnast and social media influencer Olivia 'Livvy' Dunne in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published on Friday (August 18).
Skenes, 21, who also attended LSU and led the Tigers to a national championship earlier this year, said he was introduced to Dunne, 20, through his best friend, who is dating her roommate and LSU gymnastics teammate Elena Marenas. The 2023 No. 1 overall MLB Draft pick said their shared fame has brought them together.
“It’s nice, for sure,” Skenes said via the Post-Gazette. “It can be a pain in the butt sometimes, to be honest, in terms of actually going somewhere. If one of us went out in Baton Rouge [La.] by ourselves, there’s probably gonna be someone there asking for something — picture, autograph, whatever.
“It’s nice to be able to have that conversation. She does get it. I do wish she could come to a baseball game and just enjoy it. It does irk me. I don’t have any control over it. She really doesn’t either. I’m sure it’ll get better as I go up levels, but that’s something I want for her.”
Dunne recently shared photos of herself wearing a Pirates hat while in Bradenton, Florida, where Skenes is currently designated with the Single-A Bradenton Marauders and was spotted cheering in box seats and shared a video of herself in the stands during his debut appearance on social media Tuesday (August 15).
The LSU gymnast previously attended several of the Tigers' games in Omaha, Nebraska, during their College Baseball World Series run. Skenes made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League last Thursday (August 10), throwing 11 pitches ranging from 89 to 101 MPH.
Dunne, a former All-American and a 2022 WCGA Scholastic All-American, has more than 11.4 million followers on social media, which includes 7.5 million followers on TikTok and 3.8 million on Instagram, making her the second most-followed NCAA athlete on social media and reported to have earned $3.3 million annually in NIL endorsements, behind only Bronny James.
The New Jersey native competed in bars and floor exercises, averaging 9.786 on bars and 9.854 on floor during the 2022 season, which included matching her career high score of a 9.925 on bars during LSU's season opener against Centenary and setting a new floor competition career high on with 9.900 against No. 8 Alabama. LSU gymnastics finished fourth overall in the NCAA gymnastics championships in April.