Arizona State sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston was named the Big 12 Player of the Year on Tuesday, May 19, after a dominating regular season.
He’s been a top-five player nationally in home runs, RBI, batting average and slugging percentage. In ASU’s 8-3 win over Houston on May 16, Hairston hit his 27th home run, to tie Mitch Jones for the single-season record in Sun Devils history.
Hairston’s .421 batting average leads the Big 12 and is fourth in the country, while he also leads the conference with 70 hits, a .911 slugging percentage and 1.437 OPS. He’s a top-five player nationally in home runs, RBI, batting average, and slugging percentage.
“I’m super honored to be recognized with that award and super blessed to be in this position of playing with these guys every day,” Hairston said Tuesday after ASU’s practice at Phoenix Municipal Stadium ahead of this week’s Big 12 tournament.
Third-seeded Arizona State will meet No. 6 Cincinnati on Thursday, May 21 in the single-elimination competition at Surprise Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m.
Hairston joins a host of ASU players who won conference Player of the Year honors, including Bob Horner (1978), Marty Barrett (1980), Mike Kelly (1991), Dustin Pedroia (2003), Casey Myers (2007, 08) and Brett Wallace (2007, 08).
Hairston said it’s special to be named among some of those former greats.
“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “Being mentioned with all the guys that have won that in the past, it’s elite company to be a part of. So yeah, I’m super excited to be a part of that.”
Hairston was one of four Sun Devils to earn Big 12 honors. Junior lefty Cole Carlon and senior second baseman Nu’u Contrades were also named to the All-Big 12 First Team, while junior first baseman Dominic Smaldino received an All-Big 12 Second-Team nod.
Hairston is also a finalist for the Silver Spike Award, which recognizes the best player in all of college baseball. Hairston comes from a multi-generation baseball family that includes his father, Scott, who spent the first four seasons of his 11 years in the major league with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Carlon said of Hairston’s season thus far. “I think he’s the best hitter in college baseball. I don’t have to face him during the year, which is awesome. I faced him all fall and he definitely got me more than I got him. He’s awesome.
“And if there’s one guy I wouldn’t want to face in college baseball, it’s him so I’m happy he’s on my team.”
Coach Willie Bloomquist said his players were all deserving of the recognition they received on Tuesday, but added, “I think if you ask any one of them they’re probably more focused on us as a team. Individual accolades are great but right now we’re focused on what we have in front of us on Thursday.
“But the facts are these are some special players who had great individual years so that will be celebrated, and I know they deserve it.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU baseball’s Landon Hairston named Big 12 Player of the Year
