Introducing Landon Hairston, Sun Devils BALLER!

Many of you may not even know college baseball exists, and even more might barely remember a major leaguer from the 2000s named Scott Hairston. Well, that’s okay, but I’m here to tell you a little about both before you completely miss out on something BIG! Landon Hairston, the son of Scott, currently plays in the desert for Arizona State and looks to be nearly impossible to stop.

Scott was a good ballplayer, coming up through Arizona prep schools & with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2004 before bouncing around the league until 2014 , but of course he felt most at home in Arizona still, returning to help out the organization. But this story is more about his son, Landon Hairston, the 5’11” sophomore who is proving there are genetics tied to the game of baseball.

After a great freshman season, Landon had high expectations, but no one, i mean no one except maybe his dad and himself thought we would be seeing this. After homering three times over the weekend, including a grand slam and an 8-RBI game against Top 20 West Virginia, he came right back out there last night with two more home runs, running his season total up to 17 through 29 games played.

Mashing home runs is not all he has done, though; he is currently also hitting .469 with nine steals and flashing the leather in the field. The easiest comparison out there has to be Corbin Carroll, who is also playing in the desert currently for the D-Backs. The smaller stature type of player that can do it all including a huge punch of power that shocks you when it shows up. The craziest thing is that, due to MLB draft rules, he is not eligible until next year’s draft! Which is great for Sun Devil and college baseball fans.

Two things about Landon: one, it shows yet again that you want your dad to be a ballplayer, but maybe not an all-star or hall of famer. It seems the scrappy pro leaguers are the ones who always have the sons that end up being DUDES! Second, Landon is just another example of why college baseball needs more eyes. I get that the way the pros are set up makes it tougher because you may not see these guys on your teams for years, but trust me, college baseball has something you need in your life. As the Final Four finishes up this weekend and you need your college sports fix, you may want to answer that door, 'cause college baseball is heating up more than the weather!

Landon and his Sun Devils will be playing their in-state rivals, the Arizona Wildcats, this upcoming weekend, including a nationally televised game on ESPN2 Saturday. The time is now to check out the kid who is taking the baseball world by storm and is potentially the number one pick in 2027. I wouldn't dare steer you the wrong way; trust me, Landon Hairston is must-see TV.