Valdosta High pitcher DL Hall was selected by the Baltimore Orioles with 21st pick of the 2017 MLB Draft on Monday evening.

Hall became the 12th player drafted out of Valdosta High School — the second in as many years — and the first to be selected in the first round.

Hall transferred from Houston County, where he’d help the Bears with the Class 5A state championship a year ago, back to his hometown prior to his senior season.

After a short adjustment period, Hall went on to display all the skill and ability that led to him entering into the season as a MaxPreps All-American with a signed LOI to play baseball at Florida State.

As the ace of the Valdosta pitching staff, and the slugger in the middle of their lineup, Hall helped the Wildcats advance to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.

As a senior, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound lefty compiled an ERA of 1.36 over 51 1-3 innings on the mound for the Wildcats. Hall struck out 105 batters, allowing just 25 walks and 24 hits all season as opposing batters hit .129 against him.

Hall also slashed .349/.439/.674 with 11 doubles, a triple, five home runs and 33 RBIs as Valdosta’s No. 3 hitter.

A combination of Hall’s impact on the hill and at the plate earned him recognition as Region 1-6A’s Player of the Year.

Hall’s selection marks the second consecutive year a Valdosta High pitcher has been picked in the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

Last year, the Orioles also selected Seth Shuman in the 39th round, the 1171st pick overall. Shuman decided to honor his commitment to Georgia Southern, and he was recently named to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s Freshman All-American team.

Prior to Shuman’s pick, Will Peterson was Valdosta’s most recent draftee when he was chosen in the 50th round of the 2002 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers.

The selection of David White by the Chicago White Sox in the second round of the 1978 MLB Draft, the 31st overall pick, was previously the highest a Wildcat had been drafted.

Now, Hall must decide if he’ll pitch next season for Florida State or if he’ll forgo college baseball to begin his professional career with Baltimore.

Derrick Davis is the sports editor at the Valdosta Daily Times.