Olivia Dunne all but confirms Paul Skenes dating rumors as she sits in the stands to watch her baseball beau’s minor-league debut for Bradenton
Olivia Dunne has all but confirmed that she’s involved in a romance with Paul Skenes as she sat in the stands to watch her baseball beau make his debut for the Bradenton Marauders — the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates — in Florida.
Skenes, a 21-year-old pitcher out of LSU, played his first game for the minor league outfit at LECOM Park on Tuesday since being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB draft last month and Dunne, 20, made sure she was there.
The gymnast, who shared behind-the-scenes footage of her photoshoot with Sports Illustrated on TikTok earlier this week, certainly looked happy to be at the ballpark as she pulled off a smile while greeting fans in her all-black outfit.
Dunne, who’s been dropping hints lately that she’s dating Skenes, also shared a pre-game selfie on Instagram along with the caption: ‘go baseball!’
And, Skenes certainly didn’t disappoint in front of his love interest, striking out two at-bats in his one inning appearance, with a pitch even hitting 100mph on the radar gun.
Olivia Dunne attended Paul Skenes’ minor-league debut for the Bradenton Maureders, Tuesday
Dunne, 20, also shared a pre-game selfie on Instagram along with the caption: ‘go baseball!’
The Marauders ended up defeating the Lakeland Flying Tigers, 14-13, much to the delight of Dunne.
Tuesday was the second time since Skenes – a six-foot-six righty – took the mound since he was drafted, also he also made a one inning appearance for the Rookie-level Florida Coast League Pirates last week, leaving his mark on the game too.
As for rumors that he’s dating Dunne, chances are likely considering that both athletes met at LSU, though neither have yet to confirm whether they’re an Item.
Dunne has only increased speculation of a romance between the pair by regularly attending Tigers baseball games last season and showing off her new Pirates attire.
Dunne regularly attended LSU baseball games last season (seen at the College World Series)
The gymnast also revealed that she’ll no longer attend LSU classes in-person in the fall
It remains to be seen if she’ll attend Sunday’s Marauders game, when Bradenton is expected to pitch another couple innings.
Meanwhile, Dunne revealed earlier this summer that she no longer attends classes at LSU in-person due to worries over what could happen.
The social media personality, who is on a full athletic scholarship, has turned into one of the most prominent influencers in the sports world. In fact, she’s the second highest-paid college athlete in the world, behind Bronny James, according to On3.
Her rise to fame clearly has its pitfalls as she explained to Elle Magazine in a wide-ranging interview.
‘There were some scares in the past, and I just want to be as careful as possible,’ Dunne said. ‘I don’t want people to know my daily schedule and where I am.’