Paul Skenes, LSU's star pitcher turned top MLB draft pick, has confirmed a long-circulating rumor of a romantic relationship between him and Olivia Dunne, the LSU gymnast who's become a trailblazer in the post-NIL sports world.

Skenes, who was picked first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, discussed their relationship in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He also described some of the hassles that come with their combined fame. 

“It’s nice, for sure,” Skenes said. “It can be a pain in the butt sometimes, to be honest, in terms of actually going somewhere. If one of us went out in Baton Rouge by ourselves, there’s probably gonna be someone there asking for something — picture, autograph, whatever."

At the same time, Skenes said he's thankful they both understand each other's lifestyle.

“It’s nice to be able to have that conversation. She does get it," Skenes said. "I do wish she could come to a baseball game and just enjoy it. It does irk me. I don’t have any control over it. She really doesn’t either. I’m sure it’ll get better as I go up levels, but that’s something I want for her.”

The newspaper specifically cited Dunne's recent run-in with fans at Skene's pro debut. She was initially seated behind home plate but had to move when she couldn't escape harassment from fans. 

As for how the romance started, Skenes says he and Dunne first linked up because his best friend at LSU was dating Dunne's roommate. 

“Just a small-world type of thing,” Skenes told the Post-Gazette.

And despite Dunne's 12 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, a following that earns her millions of dollars, Skenes said he's perfectly happy staying away from social media himself. 

You can read the full report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette here.