COEUR d'ALENE - A decade has passed since North Idaho College swung the collegiate bats, but if baseball supporters can build a $3 million field of dreams, the Cardinals, too, could land a home.

"We've always been in support of baseball in the community," said Al Williams, NIC athletic director. But "it's kind of a moot point to try and have a baseball program without a field."

That could change if hardball advocates, backed by a professional fundraiser, can solicit enough support to construct a roughly 1,000-seat stadium near Cherry Hill Park for the American Legion baseball program.

The field would also meet collegiate field requirements.

So along with hosting Legion, Little League, softball, even soccer and lacrosse games, the field could become NIC's home diamond. The college dropped the program in 2002 after the college constructed the Meyer Health and Sciences Building on the plot of land where the baseball team used to play.

"There's still some resentment from our alums that we dropped baseball," Williams said. "It's still a sore spot in our community."

The goal is to have the field built by 2014 on 5 acres off 15th Street the city agreed to buy last week from the Coeur d'Alene Eagles.

Ron Ouren, a Panhandle Parks Foundation member, said the foundation will hire a professional fundraiser March 15 to begin raising money to construct the field. NIC has been a part of the initial planning process, he said, as the program's return was always a goal.

American Legion baseball would still get top priority for scheduling, planners said.

Jamie Duman, American Legion Baseball president, has been a part of the planning process, Ouren said, but Legion board members said this week they would wait until the group studies it more before commenting.

The two baseball seasons likely wouldn't intersect anyway, Williams said, since NIC plays from February to May and Legion gets under way in the summer. But with NIC on board, he said, financial contributions from alumni should help support the estimated $2 million to $3 million fundraising drive.

Ouren is a former NIC booster club president.

If the sport were to return, its first year would be as a club team, Williams said.

Club teams aren't eligible for postseason play, and essentially play exhibition games. They also don't travel as much as official school teams. But NIC would look to raise start-up money to get the team going, and then incorporate it back into the school's athletic department by the second year, he said.

It could cost around $50,000 a year for the team travel budget once it's a school sport again, Williams said.

The junior college team would play in the Scenic West Athletic Conference, one of only a few wood-bat collegiate leagues. The league produced 2010 Major League Baseball No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Harper. NIC produced current MLB outfielder Jason Bay.

Coeur d'Alene's baseball talent pool would help the local team compete immediately in the tough conference, said Paul Manzardo, NIC's last baseball coach.

"This area is extremely rich in young baseball talent," Manzardo said, adding he would reach out to his former player Bay if the fundraising drive hits full gear. "I recruited strongly in this region and we always did fairly well."