Former South Fayette softball player dies
Lauren Bernett, a sophomore catcher for James Madison University’s softball team and graduate of South Fayette, has died, the school announced last week.
No cause of death or additional details were provided.
“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,” JMU president Jonathan Alger and athletic director Jeff Bourne said in a combined statement. “She was a key member of our 2021 Women’s College World Series team as a freshman catcher last year.
“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.”
Odicci Alexander, star pitcher of the JMU College World Series run in 2021, posted “Love you LB” on social media, as well as, “You really never know what someone is going through.”
Bernett, a sophomore, was named the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week on April 25, following a weekend series in which she went 7-for-9 with seven RBIs, four runs scored and a home run.
Bernett 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.
Bernett was a native of South Fayette and majored in biology with a minor in pre-veterinary medicine.
She was a four-year varsity letter winner at South Fayette and played travel ball for Team Pennsylvania Fastpitch.