Last week: Hesler, a senior shortstop and a Lady Raiders co-captain, marked her final regular-season doubleheader by going a combined 6-for-6, clubbing four home runs and driving in 12 runs Saturday as K-town swept visiting AFNORTH 16-1 and 13-2 to earn the No. 3 seed in this week’s European Division I tournament.

The perfect day at the plate upped Hesler’s batting average to an unearthly .789. She has hit 10 home runs to help the Lady Raiders close the regular season with an 11-3 record.

Hesler’s game goes far beyond the numbers, according to coach John Culbreth.“She plays hard...,” he wrote Monday in an e-mail about his soon-to-be four-time all conference star who is a three-time All-Europe choice at catcher. “She will dive for a ball and come up throwing,” he reported, “with one of the strongest arms I’ve ever seen on a player.”

And she is very versatile. “Kaylin leads by doing, not talking. If I need a catcher… she will play catcher. This year, I needed a shortstop, so she is playing shortstop,” Culbreth said. Kaylin is currently learning how to pitch, just in case I need her during Europeans.”Selected by Stars and Stripes staff.

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