Landon Hairston, a baseball standout with a strong Tucson legacy, stepped into the batter’s box at Hi Corbett Field in Arizona’s 3-2 victory over ASU last week: The Sun Devil freshman starter went 2 for 4 in his Tucson debut.
His father, Scott Hairston, a key member of Canyon del Oro’s 2000 state championship baseball team, is in the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame. In 2001, Scott hit .503 for CDO with 18 home runs and a school-record 81 RBIs. He went on to lead the 2006 Tucson Sidewinders, coached by current Arizona head coach Chip Hale, to a minor-league championship with 91 wins, hitting .323 with 26 homers.
An economics teacher at Canyon del Oro High School told Scott Hairston that a career in pro baseball was unfeasible. An 11-year MLB career in which he earned $15 million proved otherwise.
Landon’s grandfather, Jerry Hairston, lived in Tucson during his long MLB career as a player and coach.
More than any other sport, it’s not unusual for ASU’s baseball program to trot out a star-level player with a Tucson connection. Over the last 50 years, the Sun Devils have deployed, among others, Catalina third baseman Rick Valley, Rincon/University pitchers Jim Crawford and Paul Moskau, Palo Verde pitcher Dan Hanna, Sunnyside all-conference catcher Carlos Ramirez, Sahuaro outfielder Gib Seibert, Sahuaro’s all-Pac-10 reliever Kevin Dukes and Sahuaro pitcher Marc Barcelo, the 1993 Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year.
Landon Hairston was an all-state first baseman last season on state champion Casteel High School’s club.
Queen Creek Casteel’s Landon Hairston (2) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against Catalina Foothills during their Class 5A state championship game at Tempe Diablo Stadium on May 16, 2023.
