Landon Hairston, a sophomore outfielder at Arizona State, already has 17 home runs, making a charge at becoming the Sun Devils' single-season HR record holder. The existing record is 27, set by Mitch Jones in 2001. Former MLB All-Stars Bob Horner (25) and Barry Bonds (23) are among those Hairston would pass on the way to the record. Through Thursday's game at Hi Corbett Field, a 6-4 win over Arizona, Hairston was hitting .475 with 17 homers and 49 RBIs, a runaway leader for Big 12 Player of the Year honors.
Arizona State infielder Landon Hairston runs out of the box against Omaha on Feb. 15, 2026, in Phoenix.
Hairston has strong bloodlines to Tucson. His grandfather, Jerry Hairston, lived here while playing and coaching in MLB. His father, Scott Hairston, was an all-state second baseman at Canyon del Oro in 1999, who went on to play for manager Chip Hale’s 2006 minor league baseball champion Tucson Sidewinders. Scott was elected to the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
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Hale, now the Arizona coach, recruited Hairston, who chose to stay close to home. He played at Casteel High School in Phoenix.
If Landon reaches the Majors, it will set an MLB record of four generations of big league players from one family. His great-grandfather Sammy Hairston was the first Black ballplayer with the Chicago White Sox in 1953, followed by his grandfather, Jerry, and father, Scott.
