James Madison Athletics will honor the late Lauren Bernett during the final home events of the Athletics competitive year, a three-game baseball series against UNCW May 19-21 at Veterans Memorial Park.
JMU baseball will don No. 22 decals on all batting helmets throughout the series, while the same decal will be enlarged and displayed on the backstop and outfield wall padding. A table near the primary stairs on the first-base side will offer information about mental health awareness. A moment of silence will also occur prior to the series opener on Thursday.
Bernett was a First Team All-Conference member of the JMU softball program this season as a sophomore. She accumulated a .336 batting average with nine home runs and 33 RBIs. The catcher tied the school record for RBIs in a single game when she hit seven against the College of Charleston. She also ranked 19th in the nation this year with 14 total runners caught stealing. She passed away on April 25 in Harrisonburg.
With the final nine games of the softball season canceled, JMU's softball seniors will be honored as part of baseball senior recognition on May 21. Pregame ceremonies will highlight the careers of pitcher Alexis Bermudez, utility player Kayla Boseman and catcher Madison Storey.
Baseball catcher Travis Reifsnider has elected to honor Bernett's memory and bring awareness to mental health by switching from No. 6 to No. 22 for the remainder of the season.
The family of Lauren Bernett has requested that all memorial contributions in Lauren's memory be made to the JMU softball program.
James Madison Athletics will honor the late Lauren Bernett during the final home events of the Athletics competitive year, a three-game baseball series against UNCW May 19-21 at Veterans Memorial Park.Photo: JMU Athletics