VALDOSTA — Dayton Hall always knew he wanted to be a Seminole.

It only took six pitches to convince Florida State baseball head coach Mike Martin Jr. that he also wanted Hall to become a Seminole.

A Valdosta native, Hall returned to his hometown for his senior season so he could complete his high-school career surrounded by the love and support of his family and friends, and Wednesday at Valdosta High School’s Performing Arts Center Hall was surrounded by those family and friends as fulfilled his dream and signed a national letter-of-intent to play baseball at Florida State University.

“My grandma still has a picture framed in her living room of me in a Florida State uniform, I was probably 6-years-old,” Hall said minutes after putting pen to paper. “It seems like since I can remember liking a team, it’s been Florida State.

“For some reason I just always liked Florida State. My freshman year is when I started to get a little recognition, and it was like a dream come true when I received an offer from FSU.”

If Hall continues to fulfill his nearly limitless potential, Wednesday could potentially be a dream come true for the Seminoles as well.

Perfect Game ranked the 6-foot-2, 170-pound lefty as the fourth-best prospect in the 2017 class, a ranking he boosted by showcasing a fastball in the low to mid 90s at recent performances at the Under-Armour All-American game at Wrigley Field in Chicago and the Perfect Game All-American game at Petco Park in San Diego.

The level of Hall’s talent isn’t a surprise. It’s been evident for some time now.

Nicknamed “D.L.,” Hall played travel ball for Chain Sports, and it was while playing with the organization down in Fort Myers, Florida that he first caught the eye of Martin Jr.

“DL’s always been very athletic and we didn’t know if he was going to be an outfielder or a pitcher,” said Chain Sports president Andy Burress. “He really came on that sophomore year. We went down to an event and, literally, he threw six pitches. You could see it. You could see he was so far ahead of everybody else his age on the mound, especially being left-handed.

“Mike Martin Jr. came down and said, ‘Let’s get this done.’ It’s been a good ride as he’s continued to progress.”

Martin Jr. invited Hall on a tour of the Florida State campus, immediately quelling any remaining remaining doubts Hall had about becoming a Seminole. FSU offered Hall soon after.

“When I finally got the offer, it was really just a dream come true,” Hall said. “Everybody dreams of playing baseball at the next level after high school, and not having to end their career after high school, and I was fortunate enough to receive that offer so young.

“I knew as soon as I went on a visit there, that’s where I wanted to be.”

But before Hall’s breakthrough sophomore season and his offer from the ‘Noles, he made a baseball decision to leave Valdosta and transfer to Houston County in an effort to gain more exposure in a larger baseball market.

The move paid off brilliantly. Not only did Hall gain the notoriety sought, he combined with future University of Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm and Tony Locey, a potential starter in the Bulldogs’ rotation this spring, to bring the Class 6A state championship to Warner Robins.

“HoCo was definitely a blessing,” Hall said. “It was a very fun school and it did some great things for me being up there. A great coaching staff, nothing but good things to say about Houston County.

“I won a state championship this past year, and hope to bring one back to Valdosta this year.”

After taking care of business in Houston County with a junior year that saw him go 6-1 on the mound with three saves and 89 strikeouts in just 58 innings pitched, Hall turned his attention back to his hometown.

“It was a thing where my dad’s job could get him back down here, and we wanted to be back down here with all my family and my friends, where all my support was, for my senior year,” Hall said. “I think that’s an important thing. When you’re trying to make a career out of something, I think you need support.”

Valdosta has made consecutive appearances in the state playoffs after missing the postseason in the two seasons prior, even reaching the Elite Eight round in 2014, but the Wildcats have not won the state championship since 1978.

Hall is coming off a state title, he’s signed a LOI with Florida State and next year he could follow in former Valdosta pitcher Seth Shuman’s footsteps by becoming the second Wildcat selected in the MLB Draft in as many years.

Despite his lofty accomplishments, don’t expect Hall’s competitive drive to wane this season. He wants to continue to improve.

“I don’t think I’m anywhere near the end,” Hall said. “I think there’s a lot of improvements I can make…

“This year, one of the biggest things I’m going to work on on the field is throwing all pitches for strikes whenever I want.”

Hall can simply blow past most hitters at the high school level with either a two or four-seam fastball, and he’s worked this summer to develop his changeup into another devastating weapon in dispensing opposing batters.

If Hall can continue to add to his already dangerous repertoire, he may have the opportunity to eschew collegiate baseball altogether in the same vein as another one of the area’s prodigies: Kaleb Cowart.

Cowart, formerly a third baseman/pitcher at Cook, was also committed to Florida State at one point until a big senior season culminated in the 2010 Gatorade High School Baseball Player of the Year Award and a first round draft selection by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Though Cowart chose to take the professional route, Burress isn’t so sure that the same plan is in the cards for Hall, no matter how his final high school season plays out.

“He really wants to go to Florida State,” Burress said. “At the end of the day, I think that’s where he’s going to end up.”

Derrick Davis is a sports reporter at the Valdosta Daily Times.