Baseball is more than a game Landon Long. It’s a sanctuary where the pressures of everyday life fade away, leaving only the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd.
The Ketchum High School junior has become a versatile force for the Warriors varsity baseball team, playing pitcher, catcher and third base. His flexibility reflects a team-first attitude instilled by Coach Knoten and the tight-knit Ketchum community.
“The whole world shuts off when you are on a baseball field,” Long said, recalling advice from Knoten. “No matter the things you have outside of baseball, your time in baseball is the time you can shut the whole world out and go play a game you love.”
Long’s favorite memory came last season when the Warriors advanced to the state finals alongside a talented senior class. That experience taught him the value of leadership, something he witnessed firsthand through former starting catcher Hayden Taylor.
“He was an amazing mentor to help me succeed on the field and off the field,” Long said. “No matter how much he had to help me with anything, he was always there for me when I needed him the most.”
Now Long aims to provide that same guidance to younger players while continuing to develop under Knoten’s tutelage. He credits the coach with teaching him lessons that extend far beyond the diamond.
“I have learned more from him on a field that translates to real life than anyone,” Long said. “He is an amazing person on and off the field with more fire and drive in him than younger high school guys.”
Long draws inspiration from his mother, a Tulsa firefighter who has shown him that determination can overcome any limitation.
“She is a female working a man’s job,” Long said. “It shows me that no matter what ability someone else has that you don’t have can be overcame with your own strengths.”
As the Warriors pursue another conference championship, Long remains grateful for the community support that fills the stands at every game — a constant reminder of what makes Ketchum baseball special.
