Rich Billings #13

Head Coach - Rich Billings
(Lake Sumter State College)
Overall Record: 233-156-1 (post season: 21-15)
Longest Winning Streak - 14 games (2018) League record

2021 FCSL Coach of the year

2023 FCSL Coach of the year

2024 FCSL Coach of the year

Coach Rich Billings is returning for his eleventh year as head coach. This will be Coach Billings' thirteenth year overall.

Rich Billings is the head coach at Lake-Sumter State College, in June of 2015 he returned for his second stint as the Head Baseball Coach. He returned after one year as the Head Baseball Coach at Leesburg High School where he also taught 10^th grade World History and led the Yellow Jackets to a 12-12 record following an 8-16 mark in 2014.

Prior to his stint at LHS he was an assistant coach in 2013 and 2014 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. He helped the Owls to a 2013 Sun Belt Conference Championship and an appearance in the Chapel Hill Regional. FAU just missed out on a Super Regional appearance, losing in the championship game in 13 innings to the #1 nationally ranked, North Carolina Tar Heels. The Owls finished the 2013 season ranked 20th nationally.

However, Billings is no stranger to Lake-Sumter State College. He spent five seasons (2008-2012) as the head coach before moving on to FAU. Billings also spent two seasons (2006-2007) as an assistant coach at LSSC before becoming one of the youngest college head coaches in the country in June of 2007 at 25 years old.

In his LSSC head coaching career Billings has seen his teams set single season records for batting average (2009), walks (2023), stolen bases (2023) and fielding percentage (2011). He also led the 2011 squad in their first trip to the FCSAA State Tournament after a 2nd place finish in the Mid-Florida Conference. While at the tournament they also earned the school’s first ever state tournament victory when they eliminated the State College of Florida Manatees 8-3 in game two.

His coaching career also includes a lengthy list of player accomplishments. In 2008 Billings coached the Florida Defensive Player of the Year, shortstop, Nick DelGuidice.  He also saw his first player drafted that year when the San Francisco Giants selected RHP, John Michael Blake, in the 32^nd round of the Major League Baseball Draft.  Since then Billings has seen 12 of his former players go on to play professionally.

In January of 2020, Billings became the winningest coach in LSSC history when he earned his 179^th career victory by defeating Warner University. With the win, Billings passed his former Head Coach, Mike Matulia on the career wins list.

Billings has sent over 100 players to the 4-year level. He has coached over 30 Academic All Americans and his teams have traditionally been among the best academically in the state of Florida and nationally with several teams finishing in the top 10 in the country for team GPA. The LSSC baseball program’s graduation rate remains among the top junior college programs in the southeast.

Billings has also been a speaker and clinician at the Florida High School Coaches Convention, the ABCA Barnstormers Clinic, and was invited in 2021 to be a main stage speaker at the American Baseball Coaches Association national convention where he spoke on outfield play.  

As a player, Billings played for retired LSSC Executive Director of Athletics, Mike Matulia, at Lake-Sumter State College in 2002 and 2003 after graduating in 2001 from Leesburg High School. He earned All Mid-Florida Conference honors as an outfielder after his freshmen season. He was an All-Academic Team selection for both the conference and state both years and was also chosen as a member of the USA Today All-Academic Team in 2003. Following his sophomore season, he was named the Bob & Merrill Westrick Male Student Athlete of the Year. He earned his Associate’s Degree from LSSC before transferring to East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. He competed for the Buccaneers for two seasons under head coach, Tony Skole, before graduating with his Bachelor’s Degree in History in 2005 with a minor in Geography. He earned his Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Phoenix in 2007.

Billings and his wife Betsy live in Grand Island, FL with their daughter, Brantleigh.