If last year was any indicator, Leesburg is the place to be for Florida Collegiate Summer League (FCSL) baseball. The defending champions are back and ready to defend their crown as the 2025 season gets underway. The Leesburg Lightning, who captured their fifth all-time league title last summer and third in the last four years will open the season on Thursday, May 29th at 7 p.m. in Sanford and then May 30th is the first home game of the season at historic Pat Thomas Stadium at 7pm. 

Head Coach Rich Billings returns for his 11th season at the helm, joined once again by his father, Rich Billings Sr., entering his 7th season as assistant coach. This year, the veteran coaching duo welcomes a new face to the dugout, former Lightning catcher Tanner Clark, who begins his first season as an assistant coach.

(Fans fill Pat Thomas stadium. Leesburg has one of the best fan bases in all of FCSL. Pat Thomas Stadium has been renovated over the years and has been returned to its former glory. The stadium is celebrating 88th year of operation.)

Clark comes to the team fresh off his fourth straight winning season as head coach of Umatilla High School, where he led the Bulldogs to the FHSAA Regional Finals, just one win shy of a State Semifinal appearance.

Last summer, the Lightning finished the regular season 24-12 before going 4-1 in the playoffs en route to another FCSL championship. With a deep, talented roster and experienced leadership, they’re expected to be a powerhouse once again. Coach Billings, who just wrapped up his 13th season as the head baseball coach at Lake-Sumter State College, enters 2025 as the winningest coach in FCSL history with 233 career wins.

Returning for their third summer in Lightning uniforms are standout pitchers Dustin Dunlap, Riley Fitzgerald, and Tanner Walker, each with a career ERA under 4.00 during their time in Leesburg.

(Lightning coach Rich Billings returns for his 11th season as head coach of the Leesburg Lightning alongside his father Rich Billings Sr. entering his 7th year as assistant coach.)

This summer’s roster features players from eight Division I programs, including representatives from two Power Five conferences: the SEC and ACC.

Local Talent to Watch:

• Trey Craft – Umatilla High alum and rising sophomore at Florida A&M University

• Ledger Pleasant – Leesburg native and Eustis High Graduate, currently at St. Johns River State College

• Dustin Dunlap – Leesburg native and senior pitcher at Mars Hill College

• Bryan Burtoft – Leesburg native and First-Academy Leesburg graduate. Junior at Holy Family University

• Tanner Walker – Eustis native and Eustis High graduate. Senior at Florida A&M University

• Eli Thurmond – Sorrento native and Mount Dora High graduate, Junior at Florida Southern College

• Cole Bullen – Belleview native and Villages Charter School graduate. Senior catcher at the University of Florida

With elite returning talent, a mix of seasoned college players, and a coaching staff rooted in championship experience, the Lightning are poised for another exciting summer under the lights in Leesburg. Games are free to attend for the public and you are encouraged to donate to the team if you can when the players come around with a bucket during the game. If you have never been to a Lightning game, its a good time!