Birdland Insider: Putting Down Roots: The DL Hall Story

Dayton Layne (DL) Hall, born and raised in Valdosta, Ga., had dreams of playing professional baseball since he knew it could be a possibility.

Sports – of any kind – are a huge part of what makes Valdosta, Valdosta.

If you are an athlete in Valdosta, you are playing a different sport each season. In Hall’s case, he played football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and of course, baseball in the spring.

Predominantly known as a football town, professional baseball players are not common in the small Georgia town. But Hall did not let that history stop him when it came to accomplishing his dream.

“Anything he sets his mind to, and I’m not just saying this because he’s my child. But he mastered it,” said Stacey Cooper, Hall’s mother. “He is just athletic, all the way around.”

Baseball was Hall’s first love, and when it came time for him to focus on one sport in high school, it was that first love he chose. Hall’s high school career spanned two teams, playing for Valdosta High School as a freshman and senior and Houston County High School as a sophomore and junior.

Bart Shuman, the head coach of the Valdosta Wildcat baseball team from 1997 to 2017, knew Hall had a future in the sport the first time he laid eyes on him.

“I knew he was going to be good as a freshman,” said Shuman. “He played varsity baseball with a lot of relief appearances.”

During Hall’s senior year, Shuman had a front row seat to see what that once talented freshman reliever’s future had in store. Every game, scouts, managers, and cross checkers filled the stands and press box, crowding around the bullpen with their radar guns up, ready to clock Hall while he pitched.

The attention may have been too much for some people, but not for Hall.

“DL has always had a gift for the pressure,” said Stevie Hall, Hall’s father. “I would ask him after the game ‘How did you feel when you saw 26 radar guns go up behind you?’ and he would say, ‘Dad, I loved it.'”

Hall’s support system consists of family, friends, and the entirety of the Valdosta community. His biggest supporters have been there for him every step of the way, from travel youth ball to high school, to when he was selected by the Orioles, to his Major League debut.

“He doesn’t forget where he came from, I can say that.” Shuman said.

“We have a really tight friend group. We talk every day,” said Wesley Veal, a friend of Hall’s. “It’s kind of unique, you don’t see it a lot nowadays. We have all been best friends since around elementary school.”

While Hall does his best to bring his support system with him every step of the way, there is one person he is never without.

When Hall was a sophomore in high school playing for Houston County, he lost one of his closest Valdosta teammates. Colton Shaw collapsed on the field after being hit in the head by a baseball during a game. Shaw passed away the next day.

Now, Hall honors Shaw’s memory with a tattoo on his arm, bringing him along everywhere he goes. Valdosta High School also retired Shaw’s number as a tribute to the former Wildcat.

“I got my tattoo for him as soon as I graduated,” said Hall. “The only two people who aren’t family who are tattooed on me are [Colton] and my coach, who also passed away. They obviously had a lot of influence on me.”

Because retired jerseys at Valdosta are reserved for players who have passed away, Hall’s legacy lives on through a plaque located near the concession stand at his high school’s field.

One of two professional baseball players to come from Valdosta High School, making it to the big leagues was a huge accomplishment for Hall.

Hall making it to the big leagues was also a huge accomplishment for the community. During the 2022 season, Valdosta baseball held a “DL Hall Night” where the community came together to honor all of Hall’s accomplishments throughout his young career.

Entering the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft, Hall had one of the top ranked curveballs in the country and was one of the top ranked left-handed pitchers.

He was drafted in the first round with the 21^St overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles.

“He is the most disciplined child I have ever seen,” said Cooper. “I never had to push him. I never had to make him go. He always did it, right by himself.”

“Even at the level DL is at now, he is going to put in the work,” said Stevie Hall. “He is going to put in the work for himself. You don’t have to tell him to do it, and he is up for the challenge. The bigger the challenge, the better he is. I believe that because I have watched him.”

Hall made his Major League debut on August 13, 2022, against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

Valdosta to Tropicana Field is about a three-hour drive. But the distance didn’t matter to those who have been watching and cheering him on since the early days of travel ball. When Hall took the big league mound in the top of the first inning, the stands were filled with members of his hometown. Months later, he is still finding out about people from Valdosta who made the trip just to watch him play and cheer on one of their own.

“I still talk to people every day and they are like ‘I got to see you throw in Tampa’ and I’m like, ‘Wow, I had no idea that you were even there,'” said Hall. “Just a bunch of people around town, like business owners. When I go in there they are like, ‘Yeah, I got to see you pitch in Tampa.’ To hear things like that, it is just unreal to see the support I had.”

Hall made 11 appearances for the Orioles in 2022, as both a starter and reliever. He ended the season with a 5.93 ERA and a 1-1 record.

“I have worked at it since I was four years old,” said Hall. “Trying to get to that point of being able to call yourself a big leaguer. I think that for me, just having that internal fire of not letting that goal beat me was kind of what drove me. I came this far. I’m not going to give in. I’m going to keep going no matter what.”