James Madison Catcher Lauren Bernett Dies

JMU president Jonathan Alger: “Our thoughts are with her family; her coaches, teammates and friends. … JMU is a close community, and we grieve together.”

James Madison softball player Lauren Bernett has died, the school announced Tuesday. She was 20 years old. No cause of death has been released.

Bernett, a sophomore, had been the program’s starting catcher in each of the past two seasons. She helped guide the Dukes to the College World Series in 2021.

We love you, Lauren 💜💔 pic.twitter.com/WWt4lkm2gG

— JMU Softball (@JMUSoftball) April 26, 2022

“Our hearts are aching, hearing the news of the loss of one of our student-athletes,” James Madison president Jonathan Alger wrote in a statement. “Lauren Bernett was a high-achieving member of our softball team and a great ambassador of JMU and our athletics program. … College athletics is great because of the people with whom we get to interact every day. 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 a Duke. We will miss her dearly.”

Bernett was a native of McDonald, Pa., and majored in biology with a minor in pre-veterinary medicine. James Madison has canceled its Wednesday doubleheader against Longwood in wake of Bernett’s death.

“Our thoughts are with her family; her coaches, teammates and friends; the rest of our department staff and student-athletes; and the entire JMU community,” Alger wrote. “JMU Nation is a close community, and we grieve together.”