Sports360AZ
By Jayden Nance
Arizona State sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston added another accolade to a historic season Wednesday, earning Baseball America’s 2026 College Player of the Year award before announcing he will return to the Sun Devils for his junior season.
Hairston became just the fourth player in Arizona State history to receive the honor joining Mike Kelly, Oddibe Mcdowell, and Mike Sodders.
Hairston put up one of the most dominant offensive seasons in college baseball. The sophomore slashed .400/.509/.860 while leading the nation in slugging percentage. He finished the year with 28 home runs, 81 RBIs and 82 runs scored in 59 games. His stellar campaign also earned him a Big 12 Player of the Year and a spot as a finalist for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the nation’s top amateur baseball player.
His 28 home runs also set a new Arizona State single-season record, surpassing the previous mark of 27 set by Mitch Jones in 2000. Hairston broke the record during the Sun Devils’ Big 12 Tournament opener against Cincinnati when he launched his 28th homer of the season.
The national award capped a breakout campaign that helped establish Hairston as one of the premier players in college baseball. He was selected over a group of finalists that included UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Louisville’s Tague Davis, Georgia’s Daniel Jackson and Georgia Tech’s Vahn Lackey.
The Arizona roots of the race added another layer to the competition. Hairston starred at Casteel High School in Queen Creek before arriving at ASU, while Cholowsky, one of the nation’s top shortstops, attended Hamilton High School in Chandler.
Just hours after being named College Player of the Year, Hairston appeared on MLB Central and announced he would return to Arizona State for the 2027 season. His decision gives the Sun Devils one of the nation’s most dangerous hitters back in the lineup as they look to build on a successful 2026 campaign.
