Olivia Dunne’s unwavering support shines on.
On Tuesday, Dunne’s boyfriend, Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes, received a standing ovation from St. Louis Cardinals fans at Busch Stadium after a dominant outing.
The 21-year-old reposted a video from the LSU Baseball account on her Instagram Story of St. Louis fans applauding Skenes as he walked back to the dugout during the Pirates’ 2-1 win.
Dunne added a hand-heart emoji to show her support.
Skenes earned his standing ovation from rival fans after being lifted with one out in the seventh and a man on second base in a scoreless game.
Aroldis Chapman stranded the runner, leaving Skenes with 6 1/3 scoreless innings in which the 22-year-old allowed five hits, struck out eight and issued zero walks.
He now owns a 2.43 ERA spanning six starts.
Dunne, the famed LSU gymnast, has actively supported the Pirates since her boyfriend’s big league debut in May, often appearing in the stands repping Pirates’ merchandise.
Tuesday marked another proud girlfriend moment for Dunne, whose estimated NIL value sits at $3.3 million, according to Sports Illustrated,
In a video posted by Bleacher Report earlier in the day, the social media influencer said she gets more nervous when her boyfriend pitches than when she competes.
“I get more nervous watching Paul because it’s just different when you’re not doing it and you’re not in control,” Dunne said. “But I am confident in his abilities and I kinda channel those nerves into excitement for him.”
Skenes, the No. 1 selection in last year’s MLB draft, has dazzled since being promoted in May.
The former LSU ace has struck out 46 batters in 33 1/3 innings while allowing only 26 hits. He has allowed no more than two runs in four of his starts.
Tuesday marked the longest start of his young career and Skenes appreciated the rare ovation from rival fans.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t really notice it in the moment,” Skenes said, according to MLB.com. “I was kind of just pissed that I gave up a hit. … But I got a text about it, and looking back, I realized what happened. It was cool. They’re cool fans.”
Skenes has often praised Dunne, who recently won a national championship with LSU and celebrated her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit rookie spread, in helping him with this big transition.
“It’s been great, she’s helped me in a lot of ways in terms of managing all the hype I guess, if you will, and how to manage everything that goes around being a pro athlete because she’s kinda lived it. So it’s been great,” Skenes told reporters prior to his May 11 debut.
The two traveled to Pittsburgh together after they “woke up from a nap” and learned the big news.
“It’s amazing, the support here is awesome. Pittsburgh has been so welcoming,” Dunne said after watching Skenes’ debut against the Cubs, per MLB.com. “Just the people wearing Air Force stuff, LSU stuff, wearing Skenes jerseys; the support here is unreal, and I love it.”
The Pirates, who are in second place in the NL Central, continue their series against the Cardinals on Wednesday night in St. Louis.
