Hairston breaks home run record as Sun Devils advance in Big 12 tournament
- Andrew Hayslett
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
SURPRISE, Ariz. – Sophomore center fielder Landon Hairston broke out this season. The Big 12 Player of the Year has grown into a powerful bat that can hit home runs at any time, something he did only four times in 2025.
Hairston spent the first two months of his freshman career searching for power, with only three doubles before hitting his first home run on April 13. He waited 403 days for his next chance to play the Bearcats, and he made it count. Instead of chasing his first home run of the season, Hairston had the Arizona State single-season home run record in his sights, needing one long ball to stand alone with the solo record.
The player who is referred to as “Hairy Bonds” by his teammates blasted a home run on Thursday, breaking the record set by Mitch Jones in 2000, powering the No. 21 Arizona State (37-18, 19-11 Big 12) to beat No. 22 Cincinnati (37-20, 17-13 Big 12) 10-2.
“Jacob Tobias and all those guys last year would always rip Landon for not hitting homers, and I’m like, ‘Just stop listening to those guys and just hit, your homers gonna come, I promise,’” Arizona State head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “I think the proof is in the pudding with that.”
Hairston has gone from chasing power and using some teammate’s heavier bats last season to putting on weight, getting stronger, and bulkier. He smashed all of his offensive numbers from his freshman season in a season that could see him winning the Golden Spikes Award, the baseball equivalent of the Heisman.
Hairston went 2-5 on the night with a pair of RBI and runs scored. He extends his on-base streak to 33 games.
“(It) feels amazing to be a part of something in such a storied program,” Hairston said. “It means the world to me.”
Hairston broke the record with a lot of his extended family in attendance.
Graduate left fielder Matt Polk went 3-4 with a homer, his fifth of the season. He drove in two and scored a pair. The home run set his new single-season record for runs batted in with 22.
5th-year right fielder Dean Toigo collected a pair of hits, RBI and runs scored.
Junior first baseman Dominic Smaldino hit his seventh long ball in his last six games. He now has 16 on the year, adding on to his single-season career high.
Redshirt sophomore catcher Brody Briggs notched a pair of hits.
Junior shortstop PJ Moutzouridis walked twice, tripled and scored a run. He set his single-season high in walks with 30, second on the team behind Hairston.
Redshirt junior second baseman Nu’u Contrades singled and scored a run.
Cincinnati made four errors and misplayed a handful of other balls. The Sun Devils only had one error. The Sun Devils strike out the fewest in the Big 12 this season, and putting balls in play showed some weakness in the Bearcats’ defense. They struck out only once against Cincinnati starter Nathan Taylor, who set the single-season record for the Bearcats this season.
“(They) did a great job of making outs hard to get,” Cincinnati head coach Jordan Bischel said. “Some of those were hard-hit baseballs, but there were seven baseballs we could have played.”
After not pitching last weekend, senior right-hander Kole Klecker threw four innings of one-run ball. The Arizona native only allowed three hits, but allowed a career-high six walks, elevating his pitch count. He struck out five.
Klecker’s season ERA is 5.16.
The Sun Devils needed long relief from sophomore righty Taylor Penn. The Kentucky native threw three innings of scoreless baseball. He struck out five while only allowing a pair of baserunners.
In the ‘pen this season, Penn’s ERA is 1.93. His season ERA is 3.22.
“I feel like when the defense is the game, it affects the offense as well, so you’re not watching somebody walk the whole time,” Penn said.
Junior right-hander Alex Overbay threw a one-run eighth. He allowed two hits and struck out a pair.
Since moving back to the bullpen, Overbay’s ERA is 5.00. His season ERA is 6.28.
Senior southpaw Sean Fitzpatrick struck out one of the two batters he faced in a third of an inning. His last four and two-thirds innings are scoreless. His season ERA is 3.04.
Sophomore righty Eli Buxton struck out the two batters he faced, ending the game. His season ERA is 11.40.
This is the first time the Sun Devils have made a conference tournament. The Pac-12 did not have a baseball tournament until 2022.
No. 21 Arizona State takes on another ranked team, No. 9 West Virginia, on Friday with a scheduled start of 8 PM local.
“For this young man to be on top of that mountain, that has to be pretty damn special,” Bloomquist said. “I’m grateful to have the opportunity to coach him.”
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