Although the NYU softball team is currently under .500 and dealing with the struggles every young team faces at some point or another, freshman hitting and pitching dual threat Diana King has made an immediate impact for the Violets. In just several short months, King has sprung to the top of the Violets’ lineup, leading the team at the plate in addition to doing well on the mound.

24. King hasn’t been affected by any injuries in her freshman campaign, starting all 24 of the Violets’ games so far this season.

.452. King has been inhuman with the bat this year, batting just a bit under .500. Interestingly enough, teammates senior captain Kahala Bonsignore and sophomore captain Sage Scheiwiller both finished with higher averages last season — Bonsignore finished the season hitting at a remarkable .491 clip in 36 games. However, King has outhit them so far in 2016.

38. The freshman has been far and away this season’s hit leader, 16 hits ahead of second place Dakota Damiani.

7. King leads the Violets with seven home runs, four better than freshman utility player Claire Stefanelli and Molly Webber. In fact, King has nearly the same amount of homers as all of her teammates combined. Her homer tally is already the best in the team’s two-year history.

14. King leads the team with 13 multiple hit games, including four games in which she tallied at least three hits.

10. She’s also had the best hitting streak for the Violets this season, notching a hit in 10 consecutive games earlier in the year.

20. Even more impressively, King reached base in 20 straight games this season, though the streak was recently broken.

.798. With easily the best slugging percentage on the team, King racks up the bases every game. Though Stefanelli currently has a .787 slugging percentage, she’s had 47 at bats compared to King’s 84.

20. King is also the team’s best in RBIs, though several players are in contention for the lead. Stefanelli has 18, while Cassi Parulis has batted in 14.

3.04. On the mound, King has been a steady member of the rotation. Her 3.04 ERA is the second best for qualifying NYU starters. She’s even pitched a complete game this season.

.484. With six walks in addition to her many hits, King’s on base percentage is also close to .500 this season. Facing the freshman is truly a 50/50 situation.

5. Speed hasn’t been an issue for King either. Though the team doesn’t attempt to steal much, King leads the way with five on the season.

King has plenty of time to pump up her stats during the rest of the season, with 16 games left on the slate for the softball team. The squad is back in action tomorrow against Farmingdale State College.

Email Michael Thompson at [email protected].