Olivia Dunne Goes Viral After Relatable Reaction to Paul Skenes’s Pitch Is Caught on Camera

The 2025 SI Swimsuit cover model was on her feet for her partner’s nail-biting performance.

Paul Skenes and Olivia Dunne / Lucas Casel/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Olivia Dunne was stylish and slightly stressed out during her boyfriend’s recent game, and her reaction is going viral for its sheer relatability.

On Wednesday evening, the retired LSU gymnast and three-time SI Swimsuit model—who made cover girl status this year thanks to her sun-soaked photo shoot in Bermuda with photographer Ben Watts—attended her boyfriend and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. The model was there to support Skenes as usual, but her reaction to a tense moment on the mound quickly caught the eye of fans.

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The viral clip

In the short clip, the 22-year-old could be seen watching the game from a private suite, sporting a simple long-sleeved gray top with a scoop neckline and high-waisted, light-washed mom jeans. Her signature blonde hair was parted down the middle and left to cascade behind her while she stood, her phone in her hand, watching Skenes intensely.

Dunne took a deep, nervous breath in before she began filming her longtime beau on her phone. After a moment, she lowered her device and started to fidget nervously, clenching and unclenching her hand into a fist while flexing her fingers, all while her facial expressions depicted what The New York Post referred to as a “rollercoaster of emotions.” After another moment, she could be seen mouthing “Come on!”

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Fan reactions

The humorous reaction was captured by the live broadcast and shared on ESPN’s Instagram account, quickly making the rounds online among fans thanks to the sheer relatability of just how much the model was “locked in” on the game and ready to support her partner. And of course, plenty of those same fans were happy to hop in the comment section with their best jokes:

“Both Paul and Livvy were locked in 😤,” ESPN wrote.

“This is me if I have money on the line,” a commenter chided.

“We are ALL [Olivia Dunne] watching Paul Skenes pitch,” the official Pirates account added.

“This is me. We manifest every pitch,” one fan concurred.

Dunne has since responded to the moment, sharing the ESPN video clip to her Instagram story with the simple phrase: “Can’t blame a gal for being nervous.”

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The Pirates are victorious

Despite a nail-biting game—as well as this being the end of the season for the team, having not made the playoffs—the Pirates took home the victory against the Reds on Wednesday with a 4-3 victory after 11 innings.

Skenes is also being praised separately for having the “greatest season in Pirates history,” according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, as he set a franchise record for the most strikeouts by a right-handed pitcher.

Hopefully, this great news gives Dunne and Skenes every reason to relax a little this weekend and celebrate!

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