As evidenced by his impressive high school GPA, Paul Skenes took school seriously, but being at Air Force was a different level of discipline. The baseball star’s days started at 6:30 a.m. and went until 7:00 p.m., and after two years he was ready to head to Louisiana State University to increase his MLB draft stock. That meant Skenes had to break the news to Air Force’s coach. “He didn’t want to leave,” Mike Kazlausky, the team’s coach told Nola.com in April 2023.
Leaving before his junior year meant that Skenes would not have to complete mandatory military service, but Skenes had not abandoned the idea of serving his country down the line. “We’ll get him back in the military once his professional playing days are over,” Kazlausky told Nola.com. While at Air Force, Skenes understood the seriousness of the military training. “My roommate for the past two years is going to be a combat rescue officer, and the reality of it is, he might pass in the line of duty,” the pitcher told the outlet in April 2023.
Skenes took a workmanlike approach to academics, military training, and of course his time on the mound. “I don’t mean this to be arrogant. I think the only way I get beat is when I beat myself,” he told ESPN on May 9 just days ahead of his MLB debut. That debut wound up catching the attention of Skenes’ girlfriend, Olivia Dunne.
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