In 2023, the LSU Baseball team made history once again winning the program's 7th National Championship. The entire season, the Tigers were headlined by two special players, Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes. Dylan Crews was a familiar player to LSU Baseball fans coming into the season as a First-Team All-SEC Outfielder. Paul Skenes transferred into LSU from Air Force and while he was expected to be a high end arm, you never fully know until its shown on the field.
Both players completely blew all expectations out of the water, helping lead LSU to the National Championship. Crews batted .426 with 18 Home Runs, 70 RBIs, and scored 100 runs winning the Golden Spikes Award. Paul Skenes went 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA winning a slew of Awards including the Dick Hauser Trophy and College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
Ever since leaving LSU, the two have in many ways faced off against each other without facing off on the field. The two battled it out to be the 1st overall pick in the MLB Draft which Skenes achieved before Crews went 2nd Overall. Skenes was first to make his MLB Debut as well and took home National League Rookie of the Year for his performance.
On Monday Night, the two will finally face off on the field for the first time as the Nationals and Pirates face off.
Dylan Crews' has had success against Paul Skenes in the past, Crews' first Home Run came against Paul Skenes when Skenes was still at Air Force
While LSU fans root for Paul Skenes every time he takes the mound, tonight LSU fans should be pulling for Dylan Crews. The start of the season has been difficult for Crews who's batting just .116 on the season with 5 hits. Having a great game could help Crews regain his rhythm at the plate and could help him get back to playing every game as he's been benched at times this year.
On the other hand, Paul Skenes will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing where he allowed 5 earned runs in 6 innings against the Cardinals.
The two will face off at 5:40 PM Central time, and for those who don't live in either of their teams markets, the game can be watched with a subscription to MLB TV.