Dylan Crews reveals what it has been like playing alongside Paul Skenes at LSU

The LSU Tigers punched their ticket to the College World Series Sunday night for the 19th time in school history, but they definitely couldn’t have done without the bat of center fielder Dylan Crews and the arm of pitcher Paul Skenes. Whether it was at the plate or on the mound, Crews and Skenes stepped up big for the Tigers in both the regular season and in postseason play.

Skenes transferred to LSU this offseason after spending two seasons at Air Force, and recently revealed that Crews was one of the reasons he decided to make the move. And following their series-winning Game 2 Super Regional win Crews reacted to the statement and spoke about what playing with Skenes has been like this season.

“He’s the best pitcher I’ve ever seen in my life,” Crews admitted. “To see what he’s been doing at LSU, it’s been remarkable. I don’t think that kid should be here, I think he should be pitching for a major league team right now.”

Skenes definitely posses the ability of a major league pitcher, but so does Crews in his own right, as the two are currently ranked the No. 1 and No. 2 prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft according to MLB.com’s prospect rankings.

The duo both earned First-Team All-American honors this season, Crews for the second time in his career and Skenes for his third. Skenes also took home Collegiate Baseball’s 2023 National Player of the Year award and the 2023 SEC Pitcher of the Year award this season, leading the nation in strikeouts with 167 while also boasting a 1.89 ERA.

“I’ve learned so much from that guy, just the mental approach, how he carries himself every day. It’s been awesome to play alongside him and I’m really excited and proud of him. Just really looking forward seeing what he does in the future, it’s gonna be awesome for him,” Crews said.

Skenes has been on the mound twice this postseason for the Tigers and delivered wins on both occasions. He tossed a complete game in the regional round versus Tulane, throwing 124 pitches across nine innings and allowing just two runs while striking out 12 batters. Then in Game 1 of the Super Regionals against Kentucky, he allowed just four hits and zero runs in a 14-0 blowout win.

There’s no doubt that the Tigers will continue leaning on their ace in the World Series, as they take on Tennessee Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET.