CEDAR FALLS - The University of Northern Iowa baseball program needs a ninth-inning miracle.

When the Panthers returned home at 6:30 a.m. Monday from their weekend series at Arkansas-Little Rock, they anticipated being told, officially, that 2009 would be their final season.

However, director of athletics Troy Dannen has given head coach Rick Heller and the players a sliver of hope to save the 103-year-old program.

If UNI baseball can raise $1.2 million by mid-April from private sources - which equates to the program's operating expenses for the next three seasons, Dannen said he'd keep the program.

"If we find a way to find three years of operating expenses that aren't there today, and given this is purely an economic decision to eliminate a sport, it's conceivable and probable that a sport doesn't have to be eliminated from our program," Dannen said at Monday's press conference.

Based on the current economic climate, it seems like a longshot.

"We've got a chance," Heller said. "This morning, we didn't have a chance."

"There's a ray of hope," outfielder Deric Manrique said. "We've got a lot of fighters on our team, and we're not going to give up until the last straw."

That said, even if the $1.2 million is raised, there are no guarantees the program would survive long-term. Recruiting would be even tougher than it already is for a program working with only eight scholarships.

"We're not talking about raising money for a year and being in this room a year from now and asking the same questions," Dannen said. "We're talking about finding a way to generate the support for a program that will sustain it perpetually, and that would be an endowment."

Dannen said a $10 million endowment would be needed. He also mentioned that the university's total endowment is between $40 and $50 million.

"It's a very, very high hurdle," Dannen said. "Anybody in fundraising will tell you, if there's ever been a time not to be a fundraiser, today is it."

Heller said the program has already raised close to $100,000. What will it take to reach that magic number in the next six weeks?

"For it to happen, an individual, somebody that wants to step up and write the big check," Dannen said. "This is not a grassroots fundraising campaign that's going to generate $1.2 million in a matter of six weeks."

Heller said he's already taken "probably 100" calls from supporters wishing to help. However, he quickly added many of them don't understand the magnitude of money that needs to be raised.

"I don't know if we can raise it, but when I see how hard our guys work, I wouldn't bet against them," Heller said. "We have some ideas and some contacts.

"There's somebody out there that has it, and hopefully they'll come to our rescue. We're not going to go down without a fight."

Seniors Brett Douglas and Nick Kirk believe the money can be raised.

"We haven't had the easiest go of it since I've been here," Douglas said. "Everything has been a battle. This is just another one we've got to win."

Contact Matt Coss at (319) 291-1468 or matt.coss@wcfcourier.com