Quick Q&A: Nate King, St. Croix Prep baseball

After a 2014 season in which the Lions had half of their regular-season games canceled because of poor weather — they played just nine games overall — King, a senior righthanded pitcher, is looking forward to playing a full slate of games this spring.

Q: How tough was last season?

A: It was real frustrating because every other game got canceled.

Q: Where are you in the pitching rotation?

A: I'm probably No. 2. Mike [Stodolka] is No. 1. He's got a really good fastball, and his control is more reliable.

Q: What's wrong with your control?

A: I throw decently hard, but the kids on the other teams don't get too comfortable with me because I'm not always sure where the ball is going.

A: Yeah [laughs}. I guess it has its positives.

Q: Do you play year-round?

A: I used to. Last summer I umpired North Star league, American Legion and Junior Legion games.

Q: That must have been an eye-opener, seeing things from that perspective.

A: It gave me a better appreciation of what umpires do. And I think it's helped me as a player. I see many more pitches than I do as a player and I can recognize them better. It really helps as a batter.

A: Two years ago, I pitched against St. Agnes in sections at the old Midway Stadium. They crushed me, but they went on to win the [Class 1A] state championship. I thought it was really neat to pitch against a team like that. That was pretty exciting.

Q: I hate to ask what your worst experience was.

A: That's easy. In 10-U traveling baseball, I hit four batters in an inning. I was ejected. I had no control at all.