ZION, Ill. — Kevin Costner’s dream of building a baseball diamond is no longer just a voice in his head.

The Lake County Fielders, the area’s newest professional baseball team, are one step closer to reality as construction of the estimated $17 million stadium is officially under way. The 8,000-seat, state-of-the-art facility is scheduled to be completed for the start of the 2010 Northern League season next June.

The team officially introduced itself and unveiled a slide show of the stadium Wednesday at the Business and Baseball Luncheon, sponsored by the Zion Area Chamber of Commerce at Illinois Beach Resort and Conference Center.

Costner, the owner of the team and star of the movie “Field of Dreams,” could make his first appearance at the Fielders’ official groundbreaking ceremony, tentatively scheduled for mid-September.

“We’re moving forward and doing well,” Fielders general manager Ben Burke said. “People are really jumping on board to support this team.”

While the stadium is being built just south of the Wisconsin-Illinois border — located near Russell Road and Green Bay Road — the Fielders plan on having a major presence in Kenosha.

“We want everybody in the Kenosha area to know this is their team,” Fielders assistant general manager Mike Beauvais said. “Kenosha is a very important market for us. We want to give them a team they can embrace.”

Kenosha hasn’t fully embraced a baseball team since the Minnesota Twins planted their Class-A Midwest League affiliate at Simmons Field from 1984 to 1992. The Kenosha Twins left a devoted fan base and aging stadium behind in search of greener pastures in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Since the Twins’ departure, the Kenosha Kroakers of the Northwoods Collegiate Baseball League and the Kenosha Mammoths of the independent Frontier League each had failed stints at Simmons Field.

Beauvais, a Wisconsin native, has nothing but fond memories of the K-Twins.

“Everyone remembers the Kenosha Twins,” Beauvais said. “Every week in our meetings, the Kenosha Twins are brought up. Kenosha played in a stadium a bit smaller than our new ballpark, but certainly the community following was there. We want everyone to know we’re not going anywhere. This team is going to be here for the next 50 years.”

The Fielders’ mission is to provide family entertainment at an affordable price. Season tickets for the team’s 48-game home schedule start as low as $195 per seat. Single-game tickets in the Northern League typically cost under $10.

“The best part of minor league baseball to me, and there’s not even a close second, is watching families come to the ballpark and enjoying themselves in an affordable day or night out,” Fielders managing partner and president Rich Ehrenreich said. “It really is touching because a lot of people can’t afford to go to a major league game. They can go to several of our games.

“It sounds corny, but baseball does bring people together. When we see families enjoying themselves and leaving happy and being able to do it at an affordable price, it really makes it all worthwhile. We’re thrilled to be bringing a team here.”

The league has teams in in Schaumburg, Ill.; Joliet, Ill.; Gary, Ind.; Kansas City, Mo.; Fargo-Moorehead, N.D.; and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.