Paul Skenes reveals how girlfriend Olivia Dunne has helped him deal with pressure ahead of his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates TODAY

Paul Skenes, the top overall pick from the 2023 MLB Draft, opened up about how his girlfriend - Livvy Dunne - has helped him ahead of his first major league start.

Skenes is one of the most hyped pitching prospects in recent years - which obviously comes with a lot of pressure.

Speaking to MLB Network, Skenes says that Dunne has helped him immensely when it comes to dealing with that pressure. 

'It's been great, she's helped me in a lot of ways in terms of managing all the hype I guess, if you will and how to manage everything that goes around being a pro athlete because she's kinda lived it. So it's been great,' Skenes said.

Just last month, Dunne was able to accomplish something that Skenes did while at LSU: win a national championship.

Dunne was part of the title winning Tigers team that took home the school's first ever all-around national championship.

While Dunne did not take part in the competition, she did watch on as her teammates guided LSU to a victory.

Skenes was able to do the same thing in 2023, taking home the award for the College World Series' Most Outstanding Player.

It's not clear what lies ahead for Dunne's future, as she's finished with her senior year at LSU.

She still has eligibility left on a Covid year, but so far, she's not committed to returning to LSU or any other future plans publicly. 

As for Skenes, since being drafted by the Pirates, he has dominated in the minor leagues.

So far this season, Skenes put up a 0.99 ERA with 45 strikeouts over 27-and-one-thirds innings across seven starts while pitching for the Triple-A level Indianapolis Indians.

He's set to be locked in a pitching battle with the Chicago Cubs' Justin Steele - who has eight strikeouts and an ERA of 0.96 across two starts.