Paul Skenes' LSU teammate expresses excitement for first opening day start with Washington Nationals 

Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews go way back. Having played together for LSU, they became the first-ever college teammates to be picked first and second in an MLB draft, as Skenes was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Crews was drafted second by the Washington Nationals in 2023.

They also went on to make their big league debut in the same month, with Skenes debuting on Aug. 4, 2024, and Crews followed suit 22 days later.

Heading into the new season, Crews talked about his excitement for his first-ever opening day start, looking forward to what he hopes to be a "really good year" for the NL East team.

"I'm feeling great, ready to go," Crews said on Monday, via MLB Network Radio. "This is an exciting day for a lot of us, it's going to be out first opening day start. We're just going to go out there and enjoy it. We got a lot of younger guys ready to get after it, and I feel like it's going to be a really good year for us. It's going to be an amazing experience, it's something you work for your whole life.

"We've had opening days in the past obviously, with LSU, we've had debuts, but now, being in the Opening Day lineup at the big league level, it's something that I've dreamed of, and something that I've wanted to happen my whole life. For it to happen here in the next day, it's something I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life."

Just like Crews, Skenes also has an opening day start to look forward to, as he was named the Pirates' pitcher to get their season underway.

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Paul Skenes looks to 'go out and win for the city' of Pittsburgh in 2025

Having finished at the bottom of the NL Central in 2024, the Pittsburgh Pirates have not made it to the postseason in the last nine seasons. Talking about how the team "owes it to the city" to put an end to the unwanted streak, Paul Skenes shared his ambitions of "raising the bar" this season.

"I think we owe something to the city," Skenes said on Sunday, via Talkin' Baseball. "We owe a lot to the city. It's our job to go out and win for the city because this is bigger than all of us. There's a reason why 'Cutch (Andrew McCutchen) keeps coming back, and specifically to Pittsburgh.

"There's something about this city. We saw it last summer. We've seen it in videos of the Wild Card game. I'm tired of watching them because it was a Wild Card series. The bar needs to be set pretty high. Not taking anything from those guys. The fact that that's a Golden Era in recent Pirates baseball, that needs to chance. We owe it to the city."

After winning the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2024, Pirates fans will hope Skenes can continue to improve and deliver on his ambitions for the team in 2025.