Paul Skenes' girlfriend Olivia Dunne draws attention to the Pirates ace's high-level mental game before his final start of the season

Having burst onto the scene in 2024, Paul Skenes enjoyed a fantastic rookie season, which culminated with the Pittsburgh Pirates ace taking home the prestigious NL Rookie of the Year award.

After setting the benchmark so high, the starter has continued to impress in 2025, taking his game to another level. Boasting a 10-10 record, along with a 2.03 ERA and 209 strikeouts, Skenes is currently the bookies' favorite to win the NL Cy Young award come November.

With the Pirates out of contention for the playoffs, Skenes is set to make his final start of the 2025 season on Wednesday, when the Pirates take on the playoff-chasing Cincinnati Reds on the road.

Though his physical warmup routine is quite well-known at this point, his girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, gave fans a sneak peek into the ace's high-level mental preparation before taking the mound.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Dunne shared a snap of Skenes enjoying a game of chess via her story, as the 23-year-old got ready to finish his season strong.

Screenshot of Olivia Dunne's Instagram Story featuring Paul Skenes (Images from - Instagram.com/@livvydunne IG Stories)

Olivia Dunne has often shown she is Paul Skenes' biggest supporter, often turning up to cheer for him whenever he is in action. Looking at the location tag in her story, it appears she will be in attendance at the Great American Ball Park on Wednesday as well.

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Paul Skenes' girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, shows off NCAA championship ring during return to LSU

Two-time All-Star Paul Skenes girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, is also an extremely talented athlete in her own right. Having graduated high school in 2020, Dunne was one of the highest rated gymnasts in her class.

Despite receiving several college offers, she eventually committed to LSU. That proved to be a great decision in the years to come, as Olivia Dunne enjoyed plenty of success in the time she spent representing the Lady Tigers.

Arguably the most memorable moment from her time in college, however, came in 2024, as LSU won the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship. As Dunne returned to the campus she once called home on September 13, she made sure to flaunt her championship ring.

Olivia Dunne later took to Instagram to post a series of snaps from her return to LSU.

"Unc back in the boot 💍" Dunne posted

After graduating in April, Olivia Dunne decided to retire from gymastics altogether, focusing instead on a career in modelling, while continuing to grow her already widespread social media presence.

Edited by Raghav Mehta