Official Website of the 2009 FCSL Champions

About the Leesburg Lightning

It's about our community: America's Hometown!

Where we as a community come together under the backdrop of watching our kids, America's kids, playing America's game!

Where for just a few hours each day we come together-in unison, as a community, not worried about heath care or the war, or unemployment, but rather to focus on the positive: how good our lives really are and how great AMERICA really is.

Front Office / Board of Directors

There are 5 men from the community who have worked for the past 6 years to establish a team in Leesburg for the Florida Collegiate Summer League. These men worked two years prior to fielding our first team in the 2007 season. They all serve as Board Members and also wear another hat for the season. All are non-paid volunteers and the work goes on year round to enable a team to be fielded for the next season.

• Bruce Ericson, General Manager / Board Member
• John Brandeburg, President / Board Member
• Chuck Johnson, Game Announcer / Board Member
• Roger Croft, Internet Broadcaster / Board Member
• John Meier, Statistician / Board Member

How the Lightning team got started

Starting in 2005 a group of business men from the community started the process of considering how Leesburg might have a team in the Florida Collegiate Summer League (FCSL). At that time the league was about three years old and their teams were in larger size cities than Leesburg. They worked through and existing not-for-profit corporation that was established as part of the Leesburg High School Athletic Boosters organization and became a non-profit organization under that entity. They then approached the City of Leesburg government to partner that ownership with the Leesburg Lightning Baseball. The organization is there to serve the community. Those five men, who today stay on as members of the Board of Directors for the team, continue to work as volunteers throughout the year in order to raise money from sponsors, and enhance partnerships, and the work of drafting players, working with the league, and doing all that is necessary to maintain a team within the FCSL.

Leesburg. Florida is by its history a baseball community. Its past reflects its future. In early 2006, the city of Leesburg, through its recreation department, was approached by the president of the Florida Collegiate summer League, Ms. Sara Whitening, about the possibility of Leesburg being a host venue for an expansion team. With that in mind, Leesburg's Parks and Recreation department head Bruce Erickson established an exploratory committee to investigate its feasibility. Soon thereafter, the committee met with the league's officials and proposed that the league schedule a game in Leesburg on July 4th, 2006. The games purpose; to demonstrate to all how well the Leesburg community could and would support its team.

On July 4th, 2006, the game was held at Pat Thomas Stadium/Buddy Lowe Field. The stadium was full, the weather perfect and the community demonstrated what had always been manifestly evident-Leesburg is a baseball town. The event was an overwhelming success.

Subsequently, the league made clear its intention of Leesburg being in the league. The committee took to heart the league's invitation and set in motion the steps necessary to ultimately create the Lightning. In reviewing the ownership structure of the other teams in the league the committee decided that there was a better way for our team to be managed. The idea, have the team in essence be owned by the community. Let the team be owned by an informal partnership made up of the city, its business community, its residents and all of those who wanted to part of the experience. A novel idea, yet one that would embrace the essence of the atmosphere that was trying to be created.

The goal and mission of the team has not changed since the first team was fielded in 2007. The goal is to provide to the community great baseball and a summer of family fun at affordable prices. It is for the love of the game of baseball and for adding to the wholesome family activities for the community. Since the team was founded, there has been no charge for Admission to the home games of the Leesburg Lightning. The funding of the team comes from about 80 Sponsors, along with some partnership arrangements with businesses and organizations (most of whom are sponsors also), and Game Revenue that comes from ballplayers "passing the hat" in the stands, and selling of raffle tickets, an annual Lightning Golf Tournament, and selling of hats and souvenirs and memorabilia at the games. All of this combines to make games free to the fans.

As we say….Pat Thomas Stadium / Buddy Lowe Field may "quite possibly have the Best Ball Park food anywhere". This is possible because of a partnership with the Leesburg High School Athletic Boosters who buy the food and run the Snack Bar and derive the revenues from food sales. In this way the Lightning helps another sports support organization in the community and they can staff it will all volunteers to keep the price down and the quality outstanding. An added bonus to the Lightning is that they also feed our players on game day at the ball park. This arrangement works well for both organizations. It is that partnership that produces hot dogs and hamburgers and cheeseburgers and cold drinks and snacks that are celebrated by our fans and the value pricing appreciated by all.

Today, the Leesburg Lightning is driven by the quality of the players and coaches, and by the huge fan support for the Lightning at Pat Thomas Stadium. Fans appreciate these players spending their summer in Leesburg as they usually come from 7 or more states each year. We draft from among the best college baseball players around the country and usually 18 or more of our players or college interns are placed with Host Families who make a bedroom and a kitchen available to these players during their summer in Leesburg.

The huge fan support that makes the Leesburg Lightning a popular attraction in Lake County, and the quality of the baseball played on the field, and the quality of the coaching offered to these players and forming quickly into a team each year all contribute to very strong community support and a thriving franchise. Free Admission to all games, and support from City of Leesburg government in the performance of the club each season make for a magical atmosphere at the beautiful Pat Thomas Stadium / Buddy Lowe Field in Leesburg.