Homesickness tainted Mariah Penta’s first year of college softball at Auburn. Penta turned to her sister, Maddie Penta, for comfort when she missed the rest of her family and the 14-hour drive home felt unbearable.

Mariah Penta chose Auburn for a second chance to play softball with her sister after COVID-19 took away their lone high school season together. With her older sister graduating in May, Mariah Penta knew she didn’t want to be at Auburn alone.

She decided to transfer to Maryland, leaving her star sister’s alma mater behind. Playing with the Terps allows the sophomore to continue playing high-level softball while staying close to her family in Chesapeake City.

“I missed my parents, and it was really hard,” Mariah Penta said. “When they came, it was so exciting, but the minute that they left, it was just really hard.”

The sisters got into softball through their mother, Susan Penta, who played collegiately at St. Joseph’s and Delaware. She placed the two sisters on the same travel team growing up, where Mariah Penta played against older competition.

The pair had one practice together in high school before their season ended in 2020. Maddie Penta left for Auburn that fall and became an All-SEC first team member twice by her junior year.

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Back home in Maryland, Mariah Penta was building her high school legacy. She batted .500 her senior year at Bohemia Manor, and was ranked the 2023 class’ No. 15 prospect by Extra Inning Softball.

When it was time for Mariah Penta to pick schools, she fell in love with the same Auburn sports culture her sister adored, verbally committing to the Tigers in December of her junior year.

Mariah Penta made 23 starts at Auburn with 20 as a designated player. She batted .207 with 12 hits and three home runs. But it was hard to be noticed behind her sister, who broke three school records that season.

Maddie Penta, a team captain, socialized mainly with other seniors. Mariah Penta appreciated the comfort of just knowing her sister was around.

“Even if I didn’t talk to her for the whole practice, my family was there,” Mariah Penta said.

Maddie Penta’s presence was needed most off the field when homesickness hit her sister the worst. Mariah Penta would visit her older sister and her dog whenever she felt alone and needed familial support.

“I’m glad that I could be of support to her and help her through that transition, because I know I would have liked it my freshman year,” Maddie Penta said.

Mariah Penta immediately knew she wanted to play for her home state’s school after Auburn. She transferred to the Terps to start her sophomore season.

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Now with the Terps, she spends time with her family she would not have been able to at Auburn. After taking a red-eye flight home from Arizona the first weekend of the season, Mariah Penta drove home to spend the rest of the Super Bowl weekend with her parents and 12-year-old sister, something she could never have done at Auburn.

Mariah Penta hopes the improvement in her mental health will help her on the field. She’s slotted in as a designated hitter for the Terps and has 26 at bats in 12 appearances. Her year at Auburn taught her a new level of competitiveness that she’s brought back to Maryland.

“When I get in the box, it’s me against the pitcher, and I want to come out on top every time,” she said. “That atmosphere taught me that losing is unacceptable.”

While her sibling won’t graduate from her alma mater, Maddie Penta is glad her younger sister found a place she can call home for herself.

Maryland gives Mariah Penta “a life outside of softball” she didn’t believe possible. She’s still grateful she got the experience to share the field with her older sister even though Auburn wasn’t the place for her.

“I mean, she’s my sister. I love her,” Mariah Penta said. “It was a great opportunity.”