LAKE OF THE PINES — When Dahorl Ennis took the reins of Bear River High’s baseball program, he embarked on a mission to turn the field into a place his Bruins want to be.

The facelift, which includes everything from fresh paint and new bat racks to drainage improvements and tunes pumping out of a new sound system — “nothing bad, it’s all good stuff,” the coach is quick to add — is a dual effort to restore the field and the passion of an experienced Bear River squad that endured a rare losing season last spring.

Bruins like Jordan Beskeen, a four-year starter and one of nine seniors on the roster, are appreciating the renovation-in-progress.

“I love music, so it really livens things up for me,” the star first baseman said. “It puts two of my favorite things together to listen to it while I practice. Over the years this field has always been not up to par. It rains for 30 minutes and we’re not playing for another few days because of the mud. We’re putting rocks behind the dugout, trying to make it so the water has a way to get out.”

Ennis coached the school’s JV team the past two seasons, leading the Bruins to an 18-2 record last year and their first Pioneer Valley League title at that level. He’s gotten to know his current varsity players through a decade of local Little League involvement.

Ennis hired several assistants to join his varsity bench, including Rob Cramer, an early draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in 1984 who returns to Bear River to coach pitchers, and Myles Anderson, a 2002 Bruins alum who played college ball in Tennessee and helps with conditioning.

“Myles is still young enough to hang out with us and be cool,” Beskeen said. “We’ve got a lot of these guys who really know what they’re doing.”

Mike Viola led Bear River to three straight PVL titles before stepping down following the 2008 season, and the Bruins finished 0-11 in 2009 under coach Daniel Crossen.

“Last year was definitely a transition year with a new coach and everything, but we learned just to have more fun,” Beskeen said. “We started losing and then all the heads went down and we tumbled instead of trying to get back up and start winning and have more fun.”

Ennis endeavors to lead Bear River back to prominence on the diamond, and his dedication to improving the players’ environment and upgrading the coaching has impressed his athletes.

“I want to build a good program with the right puzzle pieces,” Ennis said. “I wanted to make a really nice facility this year. I brought music to the field to make it fun. We’ve been losing kids through the years to other sports, so it needed to be fun again. They’re happier. They’re not stressed.”

The coach won’t let his Bruins get too relaxed in the classroom, though. He requires a minimum 2.2 GPA and regular progress reports.

“I’ve been really on them about grades,” he said. “Every year we’ve lost kids to grades. My goal is to get these kids into college. That’s my reward.”

Ennis has arranged for Chico State scouts to watch the Bruins play at the Oroville Tournament this weekend, where they’ll see their first stiff competition in their opener against Division I Pleasant Valley. The schedule features a whopping 29 games, including battles with several Division II and Division III powers.

“We’re not dodging anybody,” Ennis said. “We want to be prepared for our league. Our goal is definitely to get to playoffs this year and I think we should definitely be one of the top three teams in our league.”

Left-handed senior Morgan Juric, who led the staff with a 2.86 ERA in 36 2/3 innings last year, tossed a two-hitter in the Bruins’ season-opener against Inderkum. Ryan Sawyer, a right-handed senior, also had a strong debut outing against Union Mine last week and will shoulder much of the pitching load.

Bear River features a stellar backstop in senior Brandon Fry, who “should be one of the best catchers in the league,” according to Ennis.

Senior second baseman Andy Brooding, junior shortstop Zach Welz, senior third baseman A.J. Blashford and senior center fielder Cole White all join Beskeen as key parts of the equation.

“I know that we definitely have the talent to win league and make the playoffs,” Beskeen said. “It’s just a matter of if everyone believes that and has that heart, even if we do start to lose a little bit. We can make something happen.”