Paul Skenes could’ve been the greatest Air Force athlete of all time

I have a hard time believing 6’5” Paul Skenes could ever comfortably fly an F-16.

In college sports, the service academies are often not thought of when it comes to being super competitive or producing professional athletes. This year though in college football, the Army Black Knights of West Point and the Navy Midshipmen are on a collision course to compete for a conference championship, and possibly even a playoff berth for Army.

In the past, both of these schools have produced several notable athletes, with Roger Staubach and David Robinson both fulfilling their active duty obligations before turning pro out of the Naval Academy. Alejandro Villanueva was a standout West Point lineman and Army Ranger before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Air Force Academy has a more modest history, with just 10 athletes getting drafted in the school’s history. In another timeline though, Paul Skenes could’ve went down as the greatest Air Force athlete of all time.

We’re all quite familiar with what Paul Skenes has accomplished with the LSU Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates thus far. Skenes at LSU won a the College-World Series, of which he was named the Most Outstanding Player, as well as receiving Pitcher of the Year honors and the Dick Howser Trophy. So far with the Pirates, he’s a one-time All-Star and won the Rookie of the Year award as well.

Before all of that though, Skenes committed to Air Force, where in his two seasons there he impressed as a standout two-way player. With the Falcons, the then catcher/pitcher was named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, an All-American in his freshman season where he started all 48 games, and was named nation’s best two-way player in 2022. All this while attending one of the most physically and intellectually demanding schools in the country.

Given the kind of momentum he had, he could have easily stayed on that trajectory and finished out his career as an Air Force cadet. Skenes’ dedication to service is incredible as well, as this season with the Pirates he would donate money to the Gary Sinise Foundation for every strikeout that he throws.

“He will serve his country in some manner moving forward. It’s just going to be a matter of when. Paul and I have spoken about that piece,” Coach Mike Kazlausky said. “We’ll get him back in the military once his professional playing days are over. It’s a big deal for Paul to be able to serve our country.”

It’s funny to look back at his time in Colorado Springs and remember he was also an incredibly multi-talented athlete. Maybe not quite Shohei Ohtani, but he would regularly come out of the bullpen and record a save in the same game he started in the batting lineup. His 11 saves in a season are tied for most for Air Force, and that same freshman season saw him be the only division one player to have double-digit saves and homers in the same season.

As he further developed, his pitching quickly became his bread and butter, and he saw that after hitting 24 homers in two seasons with a 2.77 ERA on the mound that professional baseball was worth pursuing, so he had to transfer to not have that opportunity taken out from under him. Managing one career is tough enough, but trying to be a professional athlete while also serving as an officer in the military is unfathomable.

So Skenes transferred to keep his dream of playing professionally intact, and that’s where we find ourselves today. Skenes went on to dominate the SEC with the LSU Tigers before finding himself being drafted first overall to the Pirates where hopefully he has a long dominant career.

That being said, as an enlisted airman myself, I still go out of my way to let others know that Skenes was briefly an Air Force Cadet that I technically outranked. All jokes aside, I am incredibly honored to be serving my country and am grateful for all the brave men and women that have served in our nation’s military. This story is for them on this Veteran’s Day, as we thank and honor them for defending our incredible country where we have the freedom to break bread, talk ball, and engage in the pursuit of happiness. God Bless America and God Bless our veterans.