PA Native & College Softball Star Dies At 20

PITTSBURGH, PA — South Fayette High School graduate and James Madison University starting catcher Lauren Bernett has died at 20, the university announced Tuesday.

A cause of death was not revealed.

"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," James Madison 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."

Said James Madison star pitcher Odicci Alexander on Twitter: "You really never know what someone is going through."

Bernett's death was announced a day after the sophomore was named the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week on Monday, after a weekend series in which she went 7-for-9 with seven RBIs, four runs scored and a home run.

Bernett was a biology major.

She is survived by her parents, Scott and Kim Bernett; two brothers and two sisters.

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