A star couple was back in Baton Rouge Friday night, and one half of that couple began a quest to become a back-to-back national champion.

Livvy Dunne and the defending national champion LSU gymnastics squad opened their season Friday against Iowa State.

Dunne, back for her fifth year of eligibility, helped the second-ranked team in the nation to a 197.300-194.100 victory over Iowa State.

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Dunne placed third in the floor and fourth on the beam with scores of 9.875 and 9.825, respectively.

Dunne's boyfriend, LSU alum and National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, was also in attendance.

Before becoming the No. 1 pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes was the ace of an LSU squad that won the College World Series. Skenes was called up to the big leagues early in the season, started the All-Star Game and finished third in the NL Cy Young Award vote with his 1.96 ERA and 11.5 K/9.

LSU's Aleah Finnegan, an Olympic gymnast from the Philippines, led the all-around with a score of 39.725.

The meet came just days after Dunne and Skenes were out on Bourbon Street, hours before a terror attack killed 14 people in the French Quarter.

Bourbon Street is roughly an hour and a half from Baton Rogue.

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LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne and her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes, appeared to celebrate the New Year with friends in New Orleans the same night a Texas man drove a pick-up truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing more than a dozen people in an act of terrorism. 

Dunne posted several images on her social media Wednesday indicating that the popular LSU couple had been in New Orleans before the tragic attack that took the lives of at least 14 people and injured two dozen more. 

Skenes and Dunne were also joined by Pirates prospect Bubba Chandler and his girlfriend. 

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Dunne posted another image to her Instagram Stories of Bourbon Street, which was draped with Georgia flags ahead of Wednesday’s Sugar Bowl. She posted the photo with an emoji of a broken heart but has not commented publicly on Wednesday’s attack. 

The suspect has been identified by police as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who was pronounced dead on the scene after exchanging gunfire with local law enforcement. 

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The FBI is working to determine "the subject's potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations," after an ISIS flag was found in the truck. Weapons and a potential improvised explosive device (IED) were located inside the suspect's vehicle. 

Other potential IEDs were also found in the French Quarter, the Bureau added.  

Officials initially said other suspects might have been involved in the attack, but on Thursday the FBI clarified that they believe Jabbar acted alone. 

Wednesday's College Football Playoff quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed in the wake of the fatal terror attack. Organizers agreed to push the game until the following day, with an earlier kickoff of 4 p.m. ET. 

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Dave Parker and Dick Allen are heading to Cooperstown after both were elected to the Hall of Fame on Sunday by the classic era committee. 

A vote of 75% was needed at the election to go through to Cooperstown, and Parker received 14 of 16 votes, while Allen got 13. 

Other than Parker and Allen, the next closest was Tommy John, who was third with seven votes to get in. Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Vic Harris and Luis Tiant all had less than five votes. 

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Parker and Allen will join those elected to the Hall by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA), which will be announced on Jan. 21. The ceremony will occur in Cooperstown, New York, on July 27. 

Parker spent 19 years in MLB, 11 of which starring for the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he became a four-time All-Star and won the 1978 MVP Award. He also won the NL batting titles in 1977 and 1978. 

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For his Pirates career, Parker slashed .305/.353/.494 with 166 homers and 758 RBI over 1,301 games. 

Parker would go on to play for the Cincinnati Reds, where he was named to back-to-back All-Star teams in 1985 and 1986. His seventh and final All-Star Game bid came in 1990 with the Milwaukee Brewers. 

For his career, Parker hit .290 with 339 homers and 1,493 RBI over 2,466 games. 

As for Allen, he died in his hometown of Wampum, Pennsylvania, in 2020, and he became a quick star further east in the state with the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Allen was an All-Star in three straight seasons with the Phillies from 1965 to 1967, which included a 1966 campaign with 40 homers and a league-leading .632 slugging percentage. He also won Rookie of the Year in 1964 after hitting .318/.382/.557 with 29 homers, a league-leading 13 triples and 38 doubles. 

Allen would also have three All-Star seasons with the Chicago White Sox from 1972 to 1974, and his first year in the Windy City in 1972 ended with an MVP Award.

He led the American League in homers (37), RBI (113), on-base percentage (.420), slugging percentage (.603) and walks (99) among other categories that season.

The BBWAA ballot features some interesting first-year-eligible players, including CC Sabathia, Felix Hernandez and Ichiro Suzuki. Billy Wagner, who finished five votes shy of entering the Hall, also returns to the ballot this year.

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Just a few weeks away from the new year, Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes and his girlfriend, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, have provided the internet with what might be the 2024 meme of the year. 

On Monday, Skenes was named National League Rookie of the Year, but it was his reaction to the news that had baseball fans talking on social media. 

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In a video shared by Major League Baseball, the 22-year-old pitcher remained stoic as those in the room with him broke out in loud cheers. He did eventually manage a smile while Dunne, sitting beside him, joined in the applause. 

Skenes’ emotionless reaction went viral on social media. 

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In a video posted to her own TikTok account, one user asked, "But why is this such an awkward exchange? Lol."

According to the New York Post, Dunne responded, "I was nervous like AHHHH."

Dunne also appeared to share a meme on her own Instagram account from @MLBONFOX, which she later deleted. 

Skenes finished 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts. He struck out 170 and walked 32 in 133 innings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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There was never a doubt, but MLB made it official on Monday night as Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes was named NL Rookie of the Year after starting off his career in dominant fashion. 

Fellow rookie pitcher Luis Gil of the New York Yankees won the AL Rookie of the Year award as well, just beating out Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser in voting. His Yankees teammate, Austin Wells, was also among the finalists for the award.

For Skenes, he beat out a loaded field that included San Diego Padres standout outfielder Jackson Merrill and Milwaukee Brewers budding star Jackson Chourio, also an outfielder. Skenes finished with 23 of 30 first-place votes. 

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But it was hard not to give the award to Skenes after posting one of the best rookie campaigns for a pitcher in MLB history. 

The hype train for Skenes was real the second he was drafted first overall by Pittsburgh out of LSU following the Tigers’ national championship season in 2023. Pirates fans were hoping he would be up for the 2024 campaign right away, but the organization chose to put him in Triple-A to start the year instead. 

LSU'S LIVVY DUNNE SWEETENS PIRATES' OFFER FOR RARE PAUL SKENES' ROOKIE CARD

Through seven games, Skenes was clearly a level above his competition, posting a 0.99 ERA with 45 strikeouts over seven outings. 

The Pirates finally gave the fans, and baseball fans in general, what they were hoping to see on May 11 against the Chicago Cubs, as Skenes made his big league debut at PNC Park. He went on to pitch four innings, giving up three earned runs and striking out seven over four innings. 

Though not the most impressive outing, his second didn’t disappoint as he struck out 11 Cubs and didn’t allow a hit over six innings of work this time. 

As he continued to dominate MLB hitters, Skenes was brought into the Cy Young Award conversation. With that being the case, Skenes was voted an All-Star and had the pleasure of starting for the National League against the American League in Arlington, Texas, in July. 

Skenes, despite being in a massive spotlight alongside his LSU gymnast/social media star girlfriend Livvy Dunne, was cool as a cucumber as he got out of the first inning scoreless despite seeing the Yankees’ twin-headed monster of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in that frame.

Overall, Skenes pitched to a 1.96 ERA over 23 starts this season, which is the lowest for any rookie with at least 20 starts dating back to 1920, per ESPN. It was also the lowest era in baseball this season among pitchers with at least 130 innings thrown. 

The Pirates put a cap on Skenes’ innings this year so as to not overwork him. He pitched on extra rest in all his starts, though he made the best of it by posting 133 innings. 

His final two scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium in September capped a remarkable season that Pirates fans hope he continues having as he continues to cement himself among the aces in MLB.

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