The death of the 20-year-old Bernett, which was introduced April 26 by the college, was categorised an obvious suicide by the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Department in Virginia. “The official report from the medical examiner’s office is pending, and out of respect for her family and friends, there is no other information to release at this time,” Rockingham County Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson mentioned in a press release, including that the investigation is ongoing.
JMU President Jonathan Alger and Athletic Director Jeff Bourne famous in a joint assertion final week that Bernett had been a key member of the Dukes’ run final 12 months, when it turned the primary unseeded program within the historical past of the Women’s College World Series to succeed in the semifinals.
“Our hearts are aching, hearing the news of the loss of one of our student-athletes,” their assertion final week mentioned, including, “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.
JMU pitcher Odicci Alexander, shared a photo last week that showed her shaking hands with Bernett during the World Series and tweeted, “You really never know what someone is going through.”
Bernett had been named the Colonial Athletic Association’s participant of the week on April 25, with the convention citing her .788 batting common, seven RBI and 4 runs in a sweep of Drexel. JMU’s season ends with a 21-21 general document, 10-5 within the convention. The Dukes received their final 5 video games of the season.
Bernett was a Pennsylvania native whose mom, in line with her JMU staff bio, performed softball at Washington & Jefferson College. A coach with Bernett’s youth journey squad described her as “a role model for kids in our organization.”
“Aside from being a great player, she was a fantastic person,” Team Pennsylvania Fastpitch President and Coach Richele Hall informed The Washington Post final week. Hall, who mentioned she coached Bernett all through the catcher’s highschool years, added that Bernett was “passionate” about changing into a veterinarian.
“She was more than a ballplayer,” Hall mentioned. “She would do anything for anyone.”