Ex-Hampton star catcher Bella Henzler makes immediate impact for James Madison softball

In Bella Henzler’s first game at James Madison, she hit a ball into the left-centerfield gap and raced around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.

She hasn’t slowed down since.

Henzler, a former Hampton all-state catcher, started all 46 regular-season games for the JMU softball team, batting clean-up for the final month of the season, and ranking among the top hitters as a true freshman for the first-year Sun Belt school.

“It’s just been fun to be able to come into a program and make an impact,” Henzler said. “Obviously, when I first got here, my goal was to be a starter and be an impact player right off the bat. But this is something that hasn’t come easy. It’s taken a lot of confidence in myself.”

Henzler arrived at James Madison last fall with the catching position up for grabs in the wake of the tragic loss of sophomore all-conference catcher Lauren Bernett, a South Fayette graduate who died of an apparent suicide in late April 2022.

“Bella came into a very difficult situation, especially position-wise,” sixth-year JMU coach Loren LaPorte said. “What she’s been able to do as a freshman, behind the plate, has been remarkable. We’re very proud of her and everything she’s done.”

Henzler used an eye-opening audition in the fall to beat out junior Grace Newell, a UNC Charlotte transfer, and sophomore Lily Romero for the starting spot.

Henzler never relinquished the job. She hit .293 (41 for 140) with 16 runs, seven home runs, 26 RBIs and four stolen bases. She struck out only 17 times in 152 plate appearances and ranked fourth on the team in hits and stolen bases and tied for fourth in home runs and RBIs.

Henzler’s first collegiate hit was the memorable inside-the-park home run against Chattanooga on Feb. 10 in the season-opener — “You don’t see that a lot in our game,” LaPorte said — and she added numerous big moments over the course of the year.

In late February, she had two hits in a 5-0 victory over Michigan State and two RBIs in a 5-1 win over N.C. State. In late March, she drove in three runs in a 5-4 eight-inning win over George Mason, and her leadoff home run in the eighth inning sparked a three-run comeback in a 6-5 victory over Georgia Southern. She also homered with three RBIs in a 10-7 win over Troy in mid-April.

Henzler made her biggest impact behind the plate. She had a .989 fielding percentage, with only three errors on 279 chances, and threw out 10 of 39 would-be base-stealers. Only four catchers in the Sun Belt threw out more potential base-stealers. She also did a masterful job handling the Dukes’ young pitching staff.

LaPorte said Henzler’s defensive skills are “probably the best that we’ve had in my 12 years here.”

“She has caught more pop-ups behind her or off to the side than I think we’ve ever had a catcher in my time do,” LaPorte said. “That’s difficult. … But she’s very athletic. She’s very quick. That is a game-changer. Those plays are never made and her being able to make those plays on those short little pop-ups has helped our defense tremendously.”

Said Henzler, “I think I’ve been doing pretty good.”

Two years removed from their remarkable run to the 2021 NCAA College World Series, the Dukes this season went 28-18 overall, 13-11 in the Sun Belt. They were scheduled to play No. 3 seed South Alabama on May 11 in the opening round of the Sun Belt Tournament.

Henzler, a four-year starter at Hampton, was named second-team all-state as a senior, so the smooth transition to Division I softball isn’t a complete surprise. She has also seamlessly acclimated herself at the Harrisonburg, Va., school, thanks to the support of family and friends.

She said her parents, Kurt and Lauren, have attended nearly every game, home and away. Her grandparents and aunt are often in the stands, as well as cousins and even some former Hampton teammates. In the final regular-season series at Texas State, a girl Henzler used to babysit in Hampton and later trained in softball came to see her play. The family now lives in Texas.

“It’s very fun to watch her play,” LaPorte said. “That’s what people tell me all the time about her; They can’t stop watching her. That tells you a lot about a player.”