LSU right-hander Paul Skenes named 2023 SEC Pitcher of the Year

HOOVER, Ala. (WAFB) - LSU right-hander Paul Skenes has been named the 2023 SEC Pitcher of the Year the league announced on Monday, May 22.

The award was voted on by the conference’s 14 head coaches, Skenes joins teammate Dylan Crews who was named the league’s player of the year.

LSU becomes just the third league school to produce the SEC Player of the Year and SEC Pitcher of the Year in the same season

Skenes currently ranks No. 2 on the school’s single-season strikeout list with 164, trailing Ben McDonald who had 202 strikeouts in 1989.

The Lake Forest, Calif. native leads the SEC in wins with (10), strikeouts (164), ERA (1.77), innings pitched (86.2), and opponent batting average (.161).

During the regular season, Skenes has allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of his 14 starts, was named the league’s pitcher of the week three times, and named the Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week seven times.

“Paul is the best pitcher, both mentally and physically, in college baseball and is very deserving of SEC Pitcher of the Year,” Johnson said. “He has put together as dominating of a season as you can, and he has done it while also being the unquestioned leader of our team both on and off the field.”

Skenes leads the nation in strikeouts, strikeouts per nine innings (17.03), WHIP (0.75), and strikeout-to-walk-ratio (10.93). He ranks No. 3 in hits allowed per nine innings (5.19), and he is No. 3 in ERA.

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