‘Shine the brightest’: Auburn’s Maddie Penta raises her game to elite level

AUBURN, Ala. – Every time Maddie Penta steps into the pitching circle, she believes she is better than any player that walks up to the plate. It doesn’t matter the opponent. It doesn’t matter the situation. She has confidence that her stuff will be better.

Arrogant? Maybe. Cocky? A little. But it’s that confidence that has taken Penta to another level this season and has put Auburn on pace to record its best regular-season finish since 2017. 

“Having that confidence in myself and in my team has allowed me to play a lot more freely and really push the limits of what I’m capable of,” Penta said. “If I ever get nervous, I say, ‘Maddie, what are you thinking? You are better than her.’ Even if I have to lie to myself. Against Oklahoma, I might have had to lie to myself a few times. But I thought I pitched a pretty decent game." 

This past Sunday against South Carolina, Penta didn’t have to lie to herself. She was better. After issuing a walk to the first hitter, she retired 14 of the next 15 Gamecocks and tossed Auburn’s first no-hitter in SEC play since 2006. She struck out nine in what was her seventh shutout of the season.

The Sunday before, Penta brought the same confidence to the circle in Tuscaloosa and outdueled Alabama star Montana Fouts. She gave up just one run in seven innings and helped the Tigers clinch the series on the road. 

“Competing with Montana, the atmosphere just felt heavy,” Penta said. “It was stressful at times. The last three innings, I got myself into a little bit of trouble. But they’re a great team, and us getting that win, us hitting the way we did, playing defense – all facets of the game, we did really well. It was a great win, a great experience. It was probably one of the biggest games I’ve ever pitched in.”

Outside the pitching circle, Penta is a different person. She describers herself as a goofball, “probably the weirdest person on the team.” She likes to dance. She likes to sing. She’s a fan of sharks. She’s a great teammate.

Inside the circle, however, it’s all business.

“Any great athlete, that’s always important,” Auburn head coach Mickey Dean said. “There are always two sides. A Michael Jordan, a Lisa Fernandez, there are always two sides. She’s able to separate those now whereas when she was younger it was like, ‘This is the person I have to be, and so this is where I am all the time.’ Now she knows how to trigger that.”

Two years ago, had Penta gone head-to-head against Fouts, her nerves might have gotten the best of her. She was a freshman at Auburn then and struggled pitching against good teams or in big moments. But it was those experiences that helped her become the pitcher she is today. It was the experience of playing up on the 18u travel team when she was just 13 years old, facing hitters who were four or five years older than her.

“You want to make sure the nerves are always butterflies and not moths,” Penta said. “That’s what Coach Dean said. “The butterflies are good. As soon as you have moths …

“When I was younger, it was, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to be sick.’ But putting myself in those tough situations, playing high-level travel ball, playing up in age group, those kinds of things prepared me for this situation. And as I’ve progressed, I’ve gotten used to it. I’ve gotten to look forward to those kinds of moments because those are when people get to shine the brightest.”

Penta is shining as bright as anyone this season. She currently leads the SEC in wins (23). She’s second in ERA (0.96), strikeouts (261) and innings pitched (182.0). And her seven shutouts rank third in the conference. 

As Auburn closes the regular season this weekend at home against Mississippi State, Penta is on pace to surpass all her marks from a season ago when she made All-SEC First Team.

“I think it’s just that continued experience,” she said. “Last year, I was still young, learning to get ahead of batters, spin my pitches. I really think I’ve developed some really good spin pitches to go along with my velocity. Of course, that changeup was good last year. I feel like I’ve gotten more control over it this year. I’ve continued to work on the drop ball, the rise ball, and those have really come in handy to throw off hitters’ eye level.

“Every practice, I go out there and learn something new. At least I try to. Even from a hitter’s perspective. I don’t hit, but just gaining knowledge and being able to teach myself, as well as others, has allowed me to be a student of the game rather than just a player who shows up.”

The scary part is Penta has yet to reach her full potential. She would be the first to tell you that she can be better. Whether it’s controlling the nerves, getting stronger, increasing velocity, increasing spin – she doesn’t even have a curve ball yet. She’s also tried to be a better teammate, helping her team win more on and off the field.

“I try my best to get better every day, and I try my best to learn,” she said. “As soon as you stop learning and you stop trying to get better, softball kind of becomes boring. I’m going to push myself to see how good I can get.”

“She wants to learn pitching,” Dean said. “She wants to be great at it. You get some opportunities in your coaching career to work with that athlete that has some ability, but then it’s really special when you work with that athlete that has some ability that really wants to learn it. There’s a difference. That’s who she is right now.”

Penta will take the mound Friday at Jane B. Moore Field in the first of three games against Mississippi State. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. CT. Click here to buy tickets.