softball’s pitching plan post-Maddie Penta

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What’s Auburn softball’s pitching plan in the post-Maddie Penta era?

Published: Jun. 19, 2024, 12:01 p.m.

5–6 minutes

Chris and Kate Malveaux introduced as Auburn softball's Co-Head Coaches

Maddie Penta isn’t someone you “replace.”

Auburn softball’s former ace made that crystal clear in the last start of her storied career as she led the Tigers to a 2-1 win over UCF in the NCAA Tournament’s Tallahassee Regional in a marathon-of-a-game that needed 12 innings to be decided.

Penta hurled 21 strikeouts in the complete-game effort, breaking the Auburn program record for most strikeouts in a game.

There isn’t a replacement for that kind of player.

However, the Tigers and their new coaching staff will have to find the closest thing to a replacement as Auburn will be without nearly 90% of its pitching production from 2024 come next season as Maddie Penta and Shelby Lowe have graduated and Annabelle Widra has entered the transfer portal.

Auburn currently has four pitchers on its staff — none of which have a ton of experience.

Malayna Tamborra and Emmah Rolfe are both set to return next season after having combined for just 28.2 innings pitched in 2024.

Meanwhile, Icess Tresvik has pitched in the past, but didn’t make an appearance in the circle last season.

The Tigers also have Chalea Clemmons, who is listed as a first baseman and left-handed pitcher, but hasn’t pitched an inning during her time in the Orange and Blue.

“There’s only four on staff and like you said, not a lot of experience,” said Auburn co-head coach Chris Malveaux during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. “So we are looking to bring maybe a couple in to help with that, as well as continuing to build and develop the pitchers we have on staff.”

Developing the pitchers currently on Auburn’s staff is a task that will fall in the lap of Ryker Chason, who co-head coaches Chris and Kate Malveaux added to the Tigers’ coaching staff on June 10.

“I personally believe he’s the best pitching coach in the country and he’s going to continue to get better. Incredibly sharp, high-character person,” Chris Malveaux said of Chason. “Ryker has developed time and time again. It’s a passion of his. There have been solid pitchers in places he’s been at that have gotten a lot better.”

However, despite the Malveaux tandem’s confidence in Chason, Auburn’s new head coaches recognize a need to improve their roster quickly.

“Obviously we’ve gotta make a jump. We’ve gotta climb the ranks sooner than later,” Chris Malveaux said Tuesday. “We are involved in the portal, you know, only for certain people that have been proven or we know, ‘Man, if they can put this and this together, they’re going to help us make that jump sooner rather than later.’”

And given Auburn’s situation in the bullpen and its plans to bring in “maybe a couple” of pitchers in the offseason, one could expect Chris and Kate Malveaux to poke around the portal for a more experienced arm.

But if that’s the case, they’ll need to get moving quick as programs like Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Texas A&M have all already plucked a pitcher from the transfer portal this offseason.

Fortunately the transfer portal is still filled to the brim with available players.

Stanford ace NiJaree Canady stunned the college softball world with her decision to enter the transfer portal after helping the Cardinal reach their second consecutive Women’s College World Series and being named USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year for thee 2024 season.

A lot of the speculation around the sport has Canady landing at either Oklahoma or Texas — the two teams that played in this year’s WCWS final. So unless Chris and Kate Malveaux pull off some serious magic, Auburn fans shouldn’t hold their breath for a name as big as Canady’s.

However, other top pitchers in the portal include former South Carolina RHP Sage Mardjetko, former James Madison and Campbell RHP Isabella Smith and former Charleston Southern RHP Nealy Lamb.

Not to mention, Auburn also has Hartselle High School’s RHP Blayne Godfrey coming in as a freshman in 2025.

And with the near-impossible task of replacing someone like Penta, it’s likely Auburn will lean on a mixed bag of experience as those already on the staff get developed by Chason, Chris and Kate Malveaux flirt with some names in the portal and the Tigers bring in a player like Godfrey, who ranked as the 12-highest prospect in her class at one point.

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