GREEN RIVER — Green River Knights center fielder Landon Smart capped an impressive American Legion season by earning first-team all-state honors at the Wyoming American Legion Division 2 State Tournament.
The honor also earned Smart the lone Green River selection to the Wyoming American Legion All-Star Team. He is scheduled to compete in the Home Run Derby on Friday, Aug. 7, followed by the All-Star Game on Saturday, Aug. 8, both in Green River.
Smart was one of the driving forces behind the Knights’ offense throughout the 2026 season, leading the team in several major statistical categories. He finished with a .352 batting average, the highest on the roster, while also posting a team-best .430 slugging percentage.
He collected a team-high 50 hits, including 11 doubles, while driving in a team-leading 34 runs. Smart also crossed the plate 47 times, second-most on the team, and stole 33 bases, ranking second among the Knights.
His impact extended well beyond the batter’s box.
Patrolling center field for most of the season, Smart posted a team-best .962 fielding percentage while also filling in at first base when needed. He recorded 95 putouts in 105 total defensive chances and committed just four errors all season.
Among his defensive highlights came during the Division 2 State Tournament against the Jackson Giants. Smart slid on the grass to make a catch in center field before quickly firing a throw to first base, while still on his knees, to complete an inning-ending double play. It was one of five double plays he helped turn during the season.
Smart also delivered one of the tournament’s signature moments on the basepaths.
Facing Riverton in an elimination game, Green River trailed before rallying late to force a winner-take-all seventh inning. With runners aboard and one out, Smart broke for home on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze. Davy Puckett laid down the bunt, allowing Smart to slide safely across the plate with the winning run in a dramatic 6-5 victory that sent the Knights into the state semifinals.
The play became one of the defining moments of Green River’s postseason run, helping the Knights advance to a fourth-place finish at the state tournament.
