By Gina Horan
Leesburg Lightning Prove the Best Things in Life Are Still Free
The Leesburg Lightning continue a baseball legacy at Buddy Lowe Field at Pat Thomas Stadium, the historic ballpark where Hank Aaron golfed pitches over the wall, Pete Rose burned up basepaths and Rollie Fingers began his Hall-of-Fame career.
Nearly 90 years later, the lights are still burning, the stands are full and admission remains free.
That last part was never an accident.
“It’s not about turning a profit,” Team President Tyler Brandeburg says. “It’s about putting good product on the field and giving back to the community.”
When Tyler’s dad John Brandeburg helped found the Lightning nearly 20 years ago, the mission was to provide a summer of affordable, family-friendly fun.
He certainly did his part by selling raffle tickets from the stands, finding sponsors for outfield banners and going home exhausted, all without ever taking a paycheck.
“The team meant everything to Dad,” Tyler says. “He was relentless and tenacious because he knew it was all worth it.”
Tyler was 12 when he first watched his father work the stands and 20 when the heart-and-soul of the Lightning suddenly passed away. That summer, the board named Tyler president.
Tyler has embraced the role his father defined. One of his best decisions was naming Leesburg High School graduate Rich Billings as head coach.
Eleven years later, Leesburg’s baseball team has never been better. Coach Billings has compiled a 233-156-1 record, three league titles, five straight championship series appearances and been named FCSL Coach of the Year in 2021, 2023 and 2024.
But ask what matters most and he won’t mention a single statistic.
Billings, his wife Betsy and their 8-year-old daughter see their family grow every summer as Coach takes more than a dozen young men under his wing.
“My players may be the only boys my wife Betsy and I ever have,” he says. “I get to watch them become men and there is nothing more rewarding.”
Mount Dora native Ethan Priest, now an Air Force Academy sophomore, grew up watching the Lightning and is now chasing a path his older brother Collin blazed before him.
“It’s surreal to realize I’m in the position I used to dream about,” Ethan says.
The connection runs deeper than baseball for Ethan, who seeks out the veterans in the stands before and after games.
“The veterans who stop to talk are incredible,” he says. “They’re the reason all of this is possible.”
Kaden Thompson, known as KT, arrived from Flowery Branch, Georgia, not knowing what to expect. In three weeks, he had his answer.
“Coach is demanding, but that makes us better players,” he says. “You need a guy who lets you play but has a structure.”
Today, the tournaments regularly attract dozens of teams in co-ed, doubles, sixes and junior divisions. Many players embrace the fun themes by arriving dressed in costumes inspired by superheroes, under-the-sea characters and Halloween favorites.
But the tournaments are anything but gimmicky.
“We want everyone to feel like they are the top-level player out there,” Jordan says.
Sand Ballerz also partners with local organizations and charities by using themed tournaments to give back to causes connected to each event. Past tournaments have supported breast cancer awareness, ocean conservation and local animal organizations, even helping facilitate pet adoptions during one event.
Jordan says the goal has always been bigger than volleyball.
“It’s definitely going to be different than what anyone has ever experienced in a volleyball tournament,” he says.
The next Sand Ballerz tournament, the 6th Annual Halloween “Spooky Spike Showdown,” is scheduled for Oct. 3-4 at the Hickory Point Complex in Tavares.
Longtime public-address announcer Chuck Johnson, who coined the phrase ‘free baseball under the Florida sky’ nearly 17 years ago, still defines every game that way.
The moment speaks for itself when players remove their hats to honor veterans in attendance after the multigenerational crowd fills the stands.
Tyler says he never fully understood what his father was building while John was still here but he does now.
“The Lightning is a way for me not only to give back to my community but also to feel closer to my dad,” he says. “I wouldn’t give it up for the world.”
Photos: Cindy Peterson
Gina moved to Central Florida from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2021. She holds a degree in linguistics and has worked as a fashion editor, photo stylist, lifestyle columnist and food writer since 1995. She later covered travel, events, restaurants, music festivals and sports throughout Northern California, including work as a morning show host with KSAN radio and food critic for KRON Bay TV. A veteran bartender, she has worked in hospitality on and off since high school. Gina joined Akers Media in 2022 and is currently the Food and Lifestyle Editor. Her passions include travel, road trips, history books and podcasts, tasting menus and arriving in a new city without a map.
