Lauren Bernett: Member of JMU’s improbable run at the 2021 Women’s College World Series dead at 20

By David Close, CNN

James Madison University has announced the death of softball athlete Lauren Bernett — one of the key players of the 2021 Women’s College World Series. Bernett was 20 years old.

The cause of her death nor any other details were announced.

A co-statement posted by JMU president Jonathan Alger and director of athletics Jeff Bourne said: “Our hearts are aching, hearing the news of the loss of one of our student-athletes. Lauren Bernett was a high-achieving member of our softball team and a great ambassador of JMU and our athletics program. She was a key member of our 2021 Women’s College World Series team as a freshman catcher last year.”

Tuesday’s statement included contact information for school resources, including the phone number for the school crisis center and a weblink to a mental health and wellness provider.

A sophomore catcher, Bernett was just named “Player of the Week” on Monday by the Colonial Athletic Association.

She went seven-for-nine in a three-game weekend sweep over Drexel University — hitting .788 with a home run, seven RBIs and four runs scored.

The team’s scheduled doubleheader on Wednesday against Longwood University was canceled. The athletics department tweeted it had set up a flower drop and memorial outside the softball team’s Veterans Memorial Park entrance.

According to her JMU bio, Bernett was a member of the National Honor Society and planned on majoring in biology with a minor in pre-vet.

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Last season, Bernett and her teammates made national headlines with the Dukes’ unexpected, first-ever run to the Women’s College World Series national semifinals. JMU finished its best-ever season with a 41-4 record.

Bernett’s former batterymate and breakout star of JMU’s World Series run, Odicci Alexander, tweeted Wednesday: “Love you LB” and “You really never know what someone is going through.”

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