The National College Baseball Hall of Fame took a major step toward becoming a reality Tuesday, thanks to a $5 million capital campaign grant from the Moody Foundation.

The grant brings the total raised toward the campaign to build a Hall of Fame in Lubbock, Texas, to approximately $7 million, not including the value of the land committed by the City of Lubbock. The total campaign goal is $13 million, with $9 million needed for facility construction and a $4 million endowment.

"This is a momentous day for our organization," Mike Gustafson, executive director of the College Baseball Hall of Fame, said in a release. "This is a huge step forward for the capital campaign and the mission of the musem."

Frances Moody-Dahlberg, executive director of the Galveston-based foundation, said the College Baseball Hall of Fame and its mission of preservation and education was a natural fit for the foundation.

"The Moody Foundation has a long history of activities in Lubbock," she said. "The timing couldn't be more perfect to support the College Baseball Hall of Fame given the Moody history with baseball and economic development. The trustees and staff of the foundation are proud to support this important project."

The Hall of Fame complex also will include a baseball field for youth tournaments and other amateur baseball events.

"We look forward to providing a world-class facility," said Jana Howser, Hall of Fame vice president of development. "The Moody Foundation Board of Trustees embraces the necessity of a proper national hall of fame that will educate the extraordinary history of college baseball."