Prior to 2011, Nick Krueger attended school at Providence Academy but played baseball for a cooperative team that sent players from Providence to nearby Heritage Academy.

He enjoyed playing for the Heritage/Providence Eagles, but he could never shake the idea that it was time for Providence to set out on its own.

With Krueger as a driving force, the Lions established their own team this spring – opening eyes in the process by winning their section and advancing to the Class 1A state tournament, which begins Thursday.

Staff writer Jim Paulsen talked with Krueger, a senior pitcher who has thrown a no-hitter and a perfect game this season, about the Lions' swift transition from new team to state championship contender.

Q Your school athletic director, Kurt Jaeger, said you were instrumental in establishing the baseball team. How much did you do?
A I just brought it up a couple of times. I really had a great time playing with the co-op, but it was time to test the waters. A lot of people -- parents and the baseball board and the school itself -- pushed hard.

Q What made you think that?
A We had a lot of good players and Providence had come a long way. It seemed like it was time to have our own team. We always wanted to play for our own school and have "Lions" on our jerseys instead of "Eagles."

Q What was your reaction when you heard that Providence was going solo?
A I was kind of excited at the time, but it took a long time to come to the realization that we were going to have our own team. I really didn't think about it until last summer.

Q What happened last summer?
A Everyone except for a couple of kids played together on a Junior [American] Legion team, trying to get our feet wet. That really helped this year.

Q Could you have imagined that there would be a state tournament berth in your first year?
A Ideally, I felt we had the talent and determination to make it. Realistically, there are so many unexpected things that can happen in baseball -- a bad hop or something weird like that -- that you can never predict what will happen. But we always believed we had a good shot.

Q You and Paul Hillen are the only two seniors on the team. What do you do to lead this young team?
A Well, Paul has done so much in keeping everybody up and focused and organized. I just go along with what he does. You can't underestimate what he's done. If the team needs motivation or confidence, he's the guy to do it.

Q When did this team jell?
A I would probably say after our first conference loss to West Lutheran [4-3 on May 10]. They're a very good team, but we didn't feel like they were drastically better than us. We knew we could play with them.

Q Are you shocked that this team has gone this far?
A I wouldn't say shocked. More satisfied and relieved. All the hard work has paid off. Parents always tell you that if you work hard, it will pay off and it has.

Q What are your state tournament hopes?
A To go out and play to the best of our abilities. If we lose, I want it to be because the other team was better, not because we gave it to them.