Paul Skenes pitch count: How LSU ace's usage stacks up against college, MLB starters

Will Florida's powerful lineup face Paul Skenes in the decisive game of the College World Series finals? The answer might lie in the numbers.

Skenes has been downright dominant for LSU in 2023, emerging as the nation's most feared pitcher and making a case to leapfrog teammate Dylan Crews as the top prospect in July's MLB Draft.

The Tigers have already put Skenes on the mound twice in the College World Series, and they likely wouldn't still be alive if not for the Air Force transfer's dominant outing against Wake Forest in the semifinals. As a result, Skenes has posted some pretty ridiculous pitch counts by both college and MLB standards. 

Between Skenes and some other starters who have thrown a high number of pitches in recent weeks, questions have been raised regarding NCAA rules. 

MORE: What to know about Paul Skenes' status for CWS Finals Game 3

Here's a breakdown of Skenes' recent pitch counts, along with how they compare to MLB starters and what the numbers might indicate for his Game 3 availability.

Paul Skenes pitch count

Skenes has thrown at least 120 pitches in three of his last four starts and more than 100 pitches in five of his last six starts. 

The lack of rest is partly what made Skenes' dominant outing against Wake Forest so remarkable. He's accustomed to pitching every seven days, but his 120-pitch start against the Demon Deacons came just five days after he tossed 123 pitches in a win over Tennessee.

Unfortunately, those pitch counts also make an extended Skenes outing in Game 3 of the College World Series finals unlikely. Skenes will enter the game on just three days' rest after the intense start against Wake Forest, so whether he will be able to make an appearance is a tough call. 

MORE: Florida forces Game 3 with record-setting scoring outburst

NCAA pitching rules

The NCAA doesn't have fixed pitch count rules, though one reason collegiate pitchers often throw more pitches than MLB starters is the fact they tend to pitch every seven days rather than every five days. The extra rest between starts and much shorter season than MLB's contribute to the difference in pitch counts. 

Still, the NCAA Tournament can produce some eye-popping numbers. Stanford's Quinn Mathews threw 156 pitches against Texas in the super regionals, which drew criticism from some individuals around the sport. 

Big-name pitchers have routinely thrown well over 100 pitches during the tournament, including a 114-pitch complete game from Virginia's Brian Edgington in the super regionals and a 111-pitch outing from Tennessee's Chase Dollander in the same round.

While Skenes won't be limited by rules in Monday night's Game 3, there's no doubt LSU head coach Jay Johnson will have to think carefully about how much to use his ace, if at all, after he threw 120 pitches four days earlier.

Highest MLB pitch counts 2023

It's no secret MLB teams have become increasingly cautious with pitch counts, particularly for young starters. 

Through nearly three months of the regular season, not a single major-league pitcher has crossed the 120-pitch mark that Skenes hit against Wake Forest. In fact, Skenes has thrown more pitches in three of his last four starts than any MLB pitcher has this season. There were only three starts of at least 120 pitches in the majors last season.

The two highest pitch counts of the season belong to pitchers who are at least 40 years old, and 114 pitches is the high-water mark for a pitcher under 30 years old. Skenes is 21, and he almost certainly won't be seeing this kind of workload once he's drafted by either the Pirates or Nationals in July.

MORE: Paul Skenes MLB scouting report ahead of draft

Here's a look at the highest pitch counts in an individual MLB start this season.