LSU Tigers' former stars shine on the world stage. Paul Skenes and Aaron Nola made WBC history, showcasing LSU's baseball prowess in the sport's biggest tournament.
The LSU Tigers have not had a great start to the baseball season, but their former players are making history at the next level.
One of the events that the sport has to offer is currently underway in the World Baseball Classic, with the United States meeting Venezuela on Tuesday night in the final. Former Tigers have taken center stage in the tournament.
Paul Skenes and Aaron Nola recently combined to make LSU the first school to have two starters in the semifinal round of the WBC, per the school. Alex Bregman is another former Tiger who has been involved, though he hasn't had a particularly strong event.
Skenes has had the best tournament of the three former LSU players. Given that he plays on one of the worst teams in MLB, the Pittsburgh Pirates, it has been fun watching him play meaningful baseball again. He has always been one to step up to the moment.
The 23-year-old made two starts and pitched in 8.1 innings. He allowed just a single run on a solo shot from Junior Caminero in the semifinal. That performance against the Dominican Republic was a key reason that the United States is even in the final, as their offense didn't give him much run support, much like his time with the Pirates.
Skenes is already one of the biggest stars in the sport, and his eagerness to play as much as he could for Team USA has only made him even bigger. Over his first two MLB seasons, he has a 1.96 career ERA. If this performance was any indication, he should be on his way to another stellar campaign in Pittsburgh.
Nola is in a different spot in his career. He's getting ready for season 12 and is coming off his worst year. He battled injuries throughout 2025 and ended up with a 6.01 ERA across 17 starts.
The 32-year-old looked like his old self again while pitching for Italy, who fell to Venezuela in the final. He made two starts, pitching nine innings, allowing just one run on a home run to Eugenio Suarez.
He shut down Mexico in the final pool play game, and then Italy went to him for the game against Venezuela in the semifinal. Though he did give up that home run, he still looked good.
Hopefully, Nola will be able to carry that momentum over into the regular season for the Philadelphia Phillies.