MLB Draft: Paul Skenes has teams salivating after dominant CWS performance

LSU ace Paul Skenes just delivered an untouchable performance in the College World Series against Tennessee, catching every MLB team’s attention.

For roughly seven innings, LSU pitcher Paul Skenes was untouchable.

The Tigers defeated the Tennessee Volunteers in the first game of the College World Series on Saturday, and the most memorable part of the victory was watching Skenes blow through the Vols’ batters like it was pitching practice.

In the 6-3 victory, Skenes started on the mound and brought the heat from the very first pitch. He gave up just two runs on five hits with 12 strikeouts in 7.2 innings. The Dick Howser Trophy winner took care of business in 125 pitches, 40 of which topped out at 100-plus miles per hour.

As one of baseball’s top draft prospects, he’s definitely on every MLB team’s radar now.

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1670219269089513474

LSU ace Paul Skenes torches Tennessee in College World Series

With Skenes’ torrid form and the offensive talents of Gavin Dugas, Brayden Jobert, and others, the Tigers built a comfortable 5-0 lead and never looked back.

A testament to Skenes’ jaw-dropping pitching abilities: the minute after Skenes exited the game, Tennessee’s next batter smashed a homer. The Volunteers actually boast a well-rounded group of reliable sluggers and power hitters — it just happened that Skenes brought his A-game, and that meant the Volunteers didn’t have a chance at winning.

LSU made the College World Series for the first time since 2017 in large part due to Skenes’ bionic arm. The 21-year-old burst onto the scene in his first year as a Tiger, recording a nation-high 188 strikeouts this past season along with a glittering 1.77 ERA. He walked just 18 batters and has positive intangibles, too; for example, he pledged ten dollars for every strikeout to a non-profit that provides educational scholarships to people in need.

Currently projected as a top-five prospect, Skenes has his whole career ahead of him. LSU will face Wake Forest in the next round of the College World Series on Monday.