Paul Skenes and Griffin Jax share a common starting point that continues to matter to them long after they left college baseball. Both pitchers spent key developmental years with the Air Force Academy baseball program before moving on to the major leagues and earning the chance to represent Team USA on the international stage.
Skenes, a hard-throwing right-hander, became one of the most talked-about college pitchers in the country and eventually made the leap to professional baseball, where he quickly emerged as one of the sport’s most closely followed young arms. Jax, who preceded him at the Academy, charted a different but equally demanding path, balancing military commitments with his baseball career before securing a lasting role in a big league bullpen.
Their shared Air Force background has remained a central part of their story, and both players have been active in maintaining ties to the Academy’s baseball program. By advancing from a service academy to the professional ranks, they offered a clear example to current cadet-athletes of what is possible with discipline, development and opportunity.
In connection with international competition involving the United States and Mexico, Skenes and Jax have used their experiences with Team USA to help connect the Air Force program to the broader baseball world. Their Team USA service placed them in high-profile environments and allowed them to experience the intensity of representing their country in tournament play.
For Air Force players and coaches, seeing former teammates and alumni on that stage underscores the program’s reach beyond the college season. Skenes’ rapid rise and Jax’s steady establishment as a reliable major league pitcher demonstrate different routes from the Academy to the highest levels of the sport, while reinforcing the idea that military and baseball pursuits can be successfully balanced.
Though the details of their involvement with specific events and logistics surrounding the USA-Mexico matchup are not fully public, what is clear is that Skenes and Jax continue to serve as visible links between the Air Force Academy, Major League Baseball and Team USA. Their journeys highlight the combination of service, performance and opportunity that defines the path from the Academy diamond to the international stage.
