HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Rich Lauver, now the interim baseball coach at Pahrump Valley High School, guided the Trojans' fast-pitch softball team to three straight Nevada Class 3-A state championships (2003, 2004, 2005). Advertisement

After an eight-year absence, Rich Lauver has returned to coaching baseball.

The Pahrump Valley High School graduate, who guided the Pahrump Valley Dust Devils to a summer baseball state championship in the late 1990s, took over the reins for the Trojans' Southern Nevada Class 3-A League team Monday.

He replaced, on an interim basis, Doug Marion, who resigned Monday. Marion said he was going to pursue other personal goals, according to Bob Hopkins, the PVHS athletics director.

The Trojans were 11-5 this spring under the direction of Marion, who was named the Trojans' coach prior to the 2007 season. Pahrump Valley finished 17-19-2, losing 6-1 to Las Vegas Faith Lutheran in the state Class 3-A championship game.

Saturday, with PVHS fast-pitch softball coach Preston Dockter temporarily in charge, the Trojans split a doubleheader at Ridgecrest, Calif., Burroughs, winning 8-7 in eight innings and bowing 8-3.

The Trojans, 1-1 in the league, played at home against Boulder City Tuesday; Friday, they travel to Mesquite Virgin Valley for another 3-A twin bill.

Lauver ran the Monday workouts on his first day back in a PVHS baseball uniform. In spring 2001, he was an assistant coach to Mitch Lunde; a year later, he was working with Jamie Ball as an assistant coach in fast-pitch softball.

Taking over as head softball coach in 2003, he guided Pahrump Valley to three consecutive state 3-A titles. His 2007 team advanced to the state semifinals before being eliminated.

On the baseball staff when the season began at River Valley, Ariz., in early March, Lauver left two weeks ago because some disciplinary issues within the team were not being addressed.

Which is why, at a meeting Sunday with players and parents, Lauver issued a team mission statement.

The focus of the statement was on individual and team discipline. "Our mission," the statement reads, "is to set ourselves to the standards of a champion.

"So be on time, be prepared, work hard, and let your bats and gloves do the talking," it continued.

Lauver is aware that some players will test him -- and their teammates -- on the elements of the statement: language and trash talk, talking back, work ethic and attendance.

"If it comes down to choosing winning at any cost or character, character will win," said Lauver, during a midday meeting Monday. "I think this team can be successful. And from this day on, it's tryouts for this team ... we will have 20 kids battling for jobs."