PHOENIX - In the game of baseball, being compared to Barry Bonds is one of the highest honors a hitter can receive.

Even then, anyone following what Arizona State sophomore infielder Landon Hairston is doing on a nightly basis agrees that he might be worthy of those comparisons.

So, after two more Hairston homers on Monday, head coach Willie Bloomquist struggled to find any way to describe his outfielder's recent form.

“I’ve never personally seen something like this,” Bloomquist said. “[Assistant coach] Jason Ellison played with Barry Bonds, and he said, ‘I haven’t seen anything like this other than Bonds.’”

Hairston’s 16th and 17th home runs of the season drove in three runs and lifted No. 25 ASU (21-8) to a 6-2 victory over San Diego State (15-15) at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Monday, March 30. 

First, the main attraction: Hairston launched a towering fly ball off the roof of the Whiteman Family Performance Center over the right-field fence in the fifth inning to break a 2-2 tie and give the Sun Devils the lead for good.

Then, the encore: In the seventh inning, Hairston cleared the performance center altogether, sending a solo shot into the starry night sky to give ASU a 5-2 advantage.

Hairston’s audience enjoyed the show greatly, with a few enthusiastic fans bowing down to him as he jogged past home plate for the second time.

The Queen Creek native now sits 10 home runs shy of the Sun Devils' single-season home run record, currently held by Mitch Jones' 27 in 2000 season.

Hairston is in no rush, though, as there are 27 regular-season games left for him to catch the record.

With how well he continues to perform in the box, pitchers are starting to not only keep pitches away from Hairston’s barrel but also avoid the strike zone altogether.

The Aztecs' pitching staff spotted Hairston a 3-0 count on both of his first two at-bats on Monday.

Still, both Hairston and Bloomquist think there’s no good way to get around his red-hot bat.

“They still have to throw it over the plate to get me out,” Hairston said. “I’m just trying to zone them up as much as possible and put a good swing on something.”

Sophomore catcher Brody Briggs credited Hairston’s unprecedented improvement in year two to his unwavering confidence.

“The biggest thing for him is he’s playing every single day,” Briggs said. “The confidence has never changed.”

While Hairston’s hitting exhibition surely served as Monday’s main attraction, the supporting cast produced a solid performance as well.

Briggs got the scoring started in the second inning, lacing a two-run double down the right-field line and putting ASU ahead early, 2-1.

The sophomore catcher, who continues to improve at the plate in his own right, said he sees himself as a more patient hitter in 2026.

“I’m trying to work at-bats … Knowing that if it’s not something I can do something with, to lay off,” Briggs said. “It seems to be working pretty well.”

Likewise, fifth-year outfielder Dean Toigo pieced together a 2-for-3 day, including an RBI single up the middle in the seventh inning to pad the Sun Devils’ lead.

Monday marked Toigo’s third straight multi-hit game, something that Bloomquist credited to a slight adjustment in his hitting approach.

“He’s actually getting a lot of hits the other way,” Bloomquist said. “He’s spraying the ball more to left field, and teams that are shifting on him are getting burned a little bit.”

On the mound, sophomore left-hander Easton Barrett and junior right-hander Colin Linder spearheaded the pitching.

Barrett, the starter, and Linder both threw four innings of work on Monday.

Barrett stayed durable, allowing two runs on two hits, both home runs off the bats of San Diego State senior designated hitter Tyce Peterson.

Linder shut down the Aztecs in relief, spinning four shutout innings with six strikeouts and did not allow a baserunner in the first 11 batters he faced.

Bloomquist praised Linder’s showing.

“I think that’s probably the best Linder has thrown all year,” Bloomquist said. “He was really good today.”

Additionally, on a day where ASU played its fifth game in six days, Bloomquist said he loved to see both Barrett and Linder eat up innings for an already shortened Sun Devils' pitching staff.

“It was big for Easton (Barrett) and Linder to give us some length,” Bloomquist said. “They were very efficient, so they’ll be available this weekend as well.”

Over the weekend, ASU travels south on I-10 to take on a struggling Arizona squad in a three-game series.

The first installment of the Territorial Cup on the baseball diamond this season went the way of the Sun Devils, as they took down the Wildcats 10-4 in Phoenix on March 10.

With all of that taken into account, Bloomquist knows that regardless of record, a rivalry game is sure to be competitive.

“We’re expecting their best,” Bloomquist said. “You throw the records out the window when we play each other.”