Jumpstart on pro career

Dalton Davis’ professional baseball journey may start in a different state, but he still gets to be around Louisiana vernacular.

After two standout seasons with Louisiana Tech and going undrafted in the 2024 MLB Draft, Davis has signed to play for the Florence Y’Alls — a professional baseball team in Florence, Kentucky.

The Y’Alls, founded in 1994, compete in the Frontier League, one of four independent baseball leagues in North America considered an MLB Partner League. Davis’ former Tech teammate Reed Smith is also playing in Florence.

“They reached out to me before the draft, and I told them that if it didn’t work out, I’d still want to keep playing,” Davis said. “And when I didn’t get picked, they called me, and it was literally a handful of days right after when I got over there. I just want to show teams that I’m good enough to play at the major league level and I wanted to play with a team that major league teams watch.”

While the Y’Alls are not in the minor league system, the play is considered comparable to High-A ball. And MLB organizations clearly think the competition level is worth investment, with the Y’Alls having five players sign with MLB organizations since 2022.

Recent signees have gone to the Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Guardians, and Milwaukee Brewers organizations since 2023.

Davis hopes for a similar shot at the major league level down the road.

“That’s the goal,” Davis said. “I try to keep that in mind every day of keeping that my focus and motivation to show teams that I can play at a high level and I’m good enough for them to take a chance on me. And I had talked to my coaches [at Tech] about it and they said guys get picked up out of this league all the time and that’s all I really wanted was to show what I can do.”

He didn’t waste much time in his professional debut with the Y’Alls, with his first hit coming as a solo home run on Wednesday as the team’s leadoff hitter. In just his second game with the Y’Alls, Davis went 3-for-5 with an RBI and homer. Davis went 0-for-1 with a walk in his first game on Tuesday.

Davis, a First Team All- Conference USA selection in 2024, hit .324 with 11 doubles, 15 homers, and 53 RBIs this past season for the Diamond Dogs. In two seasons at Tech, he hit .304 in 103 games with 130 hits, 28 home runs, 101 RBIs and a .563 slugging percentage. He also committed just two errors in 103 games at Tech, including a 1.000 fielding percentage in 2024 in 330 chances.

Kentucky may be his home for the time being, with the Y’Alls playing five more weeks in the regular season before playoffs, but Davis is grateful for his time at Tech and the winning he was a part of.

“It made me appreciate the journey, and it was cool to play with so many guys that wanted to continue playing professionally, which I get a chance to now,” Davis said. “I really enjoyed my time at Tech, and I really appreciate everything they did for me to get me to where I am.”