James Madison University catcher Lauren Bernett has died, the school announced Tuesday. She was 20.
The news comes one day after Bernett was named the softball Player of the Week in the Colonial Athletic Conference.
The school, located in Harrisonburg, Va., did not provide any further details about her death.
“Our hearts are aching, hearing the news of the loss of one of our student-athletes,” read a statement from university president Jonathan Alger and athletic director Jeff Bourne. “… We are a tight family. We are grateful that Lauren has been part of our JMU Athletics community and will always consider her to be be a Duke. We will miss her dearly.”
Bernett was named the CAA Player of the Week after batting .788 (7-for-9) with seven RBIs and four runs during a three-game weekend sweep of Drexel. On April 16, she tied a single-game JMU record with seven RBIs in a game against College of Charleston.
In 2021, she helped the Dukes advance to the Women’s College World Series for the first time. They made headlines there with a 4-3 win against No. 1-ranked Oklahoma in their opening game.
JMU canceled a doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday at home against Longwood.
–Field Level Media
