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LONGWOOD, Fla.- Leesburg Lightning head coach Rich Billings has been named the 2021 Florida Collegiate Summer League Coach of the Year, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. The honor comes just over a week after Billings' Lightning earned their first FCSL championship in over a decade, thanks to a three-game victory over the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs.

"I am so thrilled for Coach Billings to receive this award," Florida League president Stefano Foggi said. "Year in and year out, Rich gives 110% to his players on and off the field; He demands a little more in everything they do, and this year all of that hard work culminated with a well deserved championship."

With 18 regular season wins in 2021, Billings became just the third coach in Florida League history to win more than 150 regular season games, joining multi-time champions Kevin Davidson and Rick Hall. He also became the fourth coach in FCSL history to win ten postseason games, joining an elite list that includes Davidson, Hall, and Chuck Schall. Billings currently stands third in league history with 168 wins, sitting 33 wins away from tying former DeLand manager Rick Hall for the league record.

This season, the Lightning were among the league's best for the entirety of the 2021 campaign, finishing 18-11 in the regular season, just a half game behind the Sanford River Rats for the regular season pennant. Leesburg's stellar regular season came on the backs of the league's best pitching staff, which posted an FCSL-best 3.24 earned run average. The Lightning also led the Florida League in WHIP (1.26), opposing slugging percentage (.283), and opposing batting average (.208).

In the playoffs, the second-seeded Lightning cruised past the DeLand Suns in the semifinals, setting up a Florida League Championship Series with the fifth-seeded Winter Park Diamond Dawgs. After falling in Game One to Winter Park, the Lightning became just the fourth team in Florida League history to rally from a 1-0 deficit to win a series, thanks to a 6-4 win in Game Two and a dominant 9-1 victory in Game Three. The title was Leesburg's third in franchise history, and their first since 2009.

Foggi added that the Florida League is better for having Billings as one of its coaches.

"Rich manages at another level and we are pleased to have a coach of his caliber in our league," he said. "It wouldn't surprise me if this is the first of many championships to come."

This week, the Florida League will be unveiling our yearly award winners. The schedule of awards is as follows:
Monday: Coach of the Year
Tuesday: David Eckstein Sportsmanship Award
Wednesday: Reliever of the Year
Thursday: Most Valuable Player
Friday: Cy Young Award
Saturday: All-Florida League
Sunday: Randy Harvey Umpire of the Year