Courtesy Vermont Sports Media Association

VERMONT — The Vermont Sports Media Association has chosen standout high school baseball and softball players as its Athletes of the Month for June.

In statewide balloting of VSMA members, Rice Memorial junior Will Hesslink was named the June Male Athlete of the Month, and BFA-Fairfax senior Kayla Mathieu was chosen as the June Female Athlete of the Month.

A VSMA member first nominated each for his and her outstanding performances in that month.

Hesslink’s pitching and hitting helped Rice win its second straight Division I baseball crown. In the final vs. No. 1 CVU, he pitched a complete-game, eight-inning four-hitter in Rice’s 4-2 win, striking out 12 and walking one. He also drove in three runs with two hits, including the game-winning two-run single in the eighth.

Hesslink also earned the pitching win vs. Colchester in the semi with 5.1 innings of three-hit, one-run ball, and drove in three runs with two hits, including a fifth-inning RBI double to snap a 1-1 tie. He combined with another hurler to throw shutouts in the first two rounds.

Mathieu finished her high school career in June with her third complete-game pitching win in as many state title games, a 5-1 win over Springfield in Poultney. Mathieu also overpowered Milton in a 1-0 semifinal win, allowing only one hit and one baserunner.

In all, during three June playoff games Mathieu struck out 25 while allowing only three walks and eight hits. Mathieu lost just two games in her career — a regular-season game to Peoples as a freshman and a semifinal at Vergennes as a junior.