SURPRISE, Ariz. – The 2026 season has been nothing short of phenomenal for sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston. The Queen Creek native was named a Golden Spikes semifinalist before Arizona State’s (37-18, 19-11 Big 12) final regular-season series against Houston.
Heading into the Big 12 tournament, Hairston sought to make Sun Devil history. In last Saturday’s win over the Cougars, he hit his 27th home run of the season, tying the single-season record for the most home runs in program history, originally set by Mitch Jones back in 2000.
Hairston started Thursday’s match 0-for-2 but he reached both times on fielding errors. As he took the right-handed batter’s box for the third time in the fourth inning, he got his opportunity. And he pounced on it.
A 94 MPH fastball on the left corner of the strike zone was crushed 111.3 MPH into right field, landing inside the Cincinnati bullpen. And with that, history was officially made in Arizona by someone from Arizona, and playing for an Arizona team.
“Feels amazing to be a part of something in such a storied program,” Hairston said of his record-breaking homer. “It means the world to me. No words to describe it.”
It wasn’t just Hairston. It was a complete offensive showing of three total home runs and a superb effort by the bullpen that was essential in a 10-2 victory over Cincinnati (37-20, 17-13 Big 12) in a de facto home game at Surprise Stadium.
The Sun Devils played their first game of the Big 12 tournament, and unlike last season when the offense was shut out against BYU, this season they were dialed in. Coach Willie Bloomquist’s squad looks to claim its first conference title since 2010, which coincidentally was the last time the Maroon and Gold made the College World Series.
“The great thing about our team is it’s not always the same guys every night,” Bloomquist said. “It’s somebody different, and everyone’s contributing. So when you have an offense one through nine that everyone’s contributed, (it) makes this awful dangerous.”
Contrasting what ASU’s skipper said, one of those guys who has been contributing almost every game over the past few weeks is junior infielder Dominic Smaldino. After the Sun Devils went down 1-0 in the first inning, Smaldino stepped up to the plate following a two-out single by fifth-year outfielder Dean Toigo.
The Cal transfer delivered, taking one just over the right-center field wall into the green lawn to give ASU a 2-1 lead – a lead it would never relinquish.
Smaldino now has 16 fence-clearers on the season, with nine of them coming in the past 13 games.
“(We) bumped him up in that four-hole and he’s produced like a cleanup hitter should,” Bloomquist said. “He’s on a bit of a heater right now so we’ll keep riding him, and really, this second half of the year, he’s been outstanding.”
The big question heading into Thursday night’s tilt against the Bearcats was who would be taking the mound for the start? The answer was senior right-hander Kole Klecker.
The Chandler native has had ups and downs throughout his first season with the Sun Devils, but he’s had a better track record at home.
Klecker didn’t have his best stuff, going only four innings and walking a career-high six batters. But despite his faults, he only allowed one run, while the bats piled on the Bearcats’ pitching early.
The Chandler native missed his start last week due to an illness, and it likely led to some rust out of the gate.
But he opened the door for the bullpen to do their job. And it started with sophomore right-handed pitcher Taylor Penn.
The Western Kentucky transfer struck out five batters through three innings of work, setting up his fellow teammates to shut the door the rest of the way and eliminate any hope of a big comeback, which has happened to ASU a few times in 2026.
Penn’s been shifted between the starting rotation and the bullpen throughout the season. But despite the movement, he’s been one of ASU’s more consistent arms, with an ERA of 3.22 on the year.
“Just having a good routine and just knowing whenever Willie puts me in the game, just to contribute, fill it (the zone) up, let your defense work,” Penn said. “I feel like when the defense is in the game, it affects the offense as well, so you’re not watching somebody walk the whole time. “But whenever I get a chance to pitch, it’s a blessing being able to pitch anytime, starting or relieving.”
With the Big 12 tournament being in Surprise this season, it gives ASU an advantage. There was a good amount of fans in maroon and gold in the third base area, as multiple “A-S-U” chants reigned throughout the night.
But what really might benefit them is the late start time. Last season when the Big 12 tournament was in Arlington, ASU opened up at 11 a.m. local time, and although not the entire reason they lost, the offense looked flat in a 2-0 shutout loss to BYU.
This season, the Sun Devils began in the desert night, although a later start time than they’re accustomed to, Bloomquist’s squad played one of their best games of the season against a Cincinnati team from the East Coast that still may have been adjusting to the time difference.
But Bearcats head man Jordan Bischel believes even with that against them, it didn’t excuse their offensive performance or the four errors committed within the first three innings.
“They pressured us once we made a mistake or two, (and) some doubt crept in,” Bischel said. “You can’t have that happen at this level. Teams are too good, they’re going to take advantage of it, and if you play with a shadow of doubt in your mind at this level, teams are going to run you right over.”
ASU will be back at it on Friday, with a scheduled start time of 8 p.m. against West Virginia. The Sun Devils dropped two of three against the Mountaineers at Phoenix Municipal Stadium almost two months back.
It’s the first time ASU has made a conference tournament semifinal, with the Pac-12 never having one until 2023. And now, Sparky looks to get revenge against one of the two Big 12 teams it dropped a series to throughout all of 2026.
“They’re extremely talented, (a) good team,” Bloomquist said. “It was two heavyweights going at it at our place earlier in the year. They got us in that series. I anticipate it being a tough one again tomorrow.”
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