Casey Leister enters his fourth season as assistant coach for the FGCU men’s golf program in 2026-27, transitioning from the baseball diamond to the fairways and greens.
In 2025-26, FGCU men's golf claimed the program's first-ever ASUN Championship, capping a historic season that also included team victories at the West Bay Collegiate Invitational and Johnnie-O at Sea Island. The Eagles earned an NCAA Tournament bid and closed out the Marana Regional in 12th place at The Gallery Golf Club. Under coach Danna, FGCU posted a team scoring average of 282.9 across 13 tournaments, the best in the ASUN, and finished the season ranked No. 60 nationally, the highest in the conference. The Green and Blue recorded six top-3 team finishes, three individual champions, and four individual top-3 finishes, making 2025-26 the most successful season in program history.
Sebastian Gamboa headlined the individual accolades with two tournament victories, including a wire-to-wire win at the ASUN Championship, where he finished 12-under par at Kinderlou Forest. Gamboa, an All-ASUN First Team selection, ranked No. 235 nationally with a 71.0 scoring average. Nolan Harper, also an All-ASUN First Team honoree, ranked No. 184 nationally with a 70.3 scoring average and tied the program's all-time single-round record with a 63 at the Ka'anapali Classic, where his 54-hole total of 197 matched the program's all-time low. Sacha Ruiz rounded out the All-ASUN First Team, ranking No. 243 nationally with a 70.6 scoring average and earning a victory at the Giles-Spratley Collegiate along with runner-up honors at the ASUN Championship. Brett Moore earned All-ASUN Third Team recognition after posting a 72.1 scoring average across 13 tournaments.
In 2024-25, FGCU men’s golf earned just the second at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in program history, placing 11th at the Amherst Regional behind senior Tom Scullion, who tied for 20th overall. Under head coach Andrew Danna, the Eagles posted a program-record scoring average of 284.9 and continued their rise as one of the ASUN’s top programs. The Green and Blue finished the season ranked No. 57 overall.
Freshman Nolan Harper became the first Eagle men’s golfer since 2013 to win ASUN Freshman of the Year after recording one victory, a top-five finish, and two top-10 finishes while ranking No. 218 nationally—the highest-ranked freshman in the league. Harper was joined on the ASUN First Team by Brett Moore and Sebastian Gamboa. Moore, also a unanimous ASUN Freshman Team pick, broke the program’s single-round scoring record with a 63 and ranked No. 232 nationally. Gamboa led the team with a 71.0 scoring average, tied for second at the ASUN Championship, and collected All-Tournament honors. Rounding out the accolades, Christian Figueredo earned ASUN Second Team recognition after three top-three finishes.
In 2023-24, FGCU narrowly missed earning its second-ever at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament field. The Eagles closed the season ranked No. 66 overall and climbed as high as No. 50. FGCU notched one tournament victory and four Top 3 team finishes. The Green and Blue posted the lowest scoring average in program history at 284.9 and also sent an individual to the Austin Regional. Joe Sullivan earned the individual at-large bid into the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, fishing 25th overall. In the first tournament of the season, Sullivan won the angular Valero Texas Collegiate in a three-way playoff, earning an exemption into the PGA’s Valero Texas Open. Sullivan would also force a three-way playoff at the ASUN Championship en route to ASUN All-Tournament honors. Sullivan broke the program’s single-season round average (70.6) and total under par rounds (23) and rounds played (39).
The Eagles won the Wisconsin Badger Invitational, marking the fourth win for coach Danna in his tenure at FGCU and the first since March of 2022. FGCU broke five team records in Hawaii, highlighting a runner-up performance at the Kapolei Invitational. FGCU turned in a program record 20-under to-par score to open the tournament. The Eagles continued its historic charge by also breaking the 36-hole to-par score at 30-under. The Green and Blue finished 51-under as a team, another program record. FGCU's aggregate three-round score of 813 shattered the previous record of 832. FGCU's 267 in the final round tied the school record for the lowest team round, but its 21-under-par score on Thursday broke its Tuesday record of 20-under.
The Green and Blue captured its second runner-up finish of the season at the Auburn Tiger Invitational, placed third at The Rutherford Intercollegiate and fourth at the ASUN Championship. Sullivan took home ASUN Second Team honors, Austin Cherichella earned ASUN Third Team distinction and Brody Stevesnon landed on the All-Freshman Team list. Cherichella was also named to the ASUN’s All-Academic Team and as a squad, the Eagles posted a 3.43 GPA during the spring semester.
Prior to FGCU, Leister spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach for Navy baseball. In his first season with the Midshipmen, he helped the Midshipmen post a 39-17 record overall and captured the 2019 Patriot League regular season crown with 18-7 mark in league play.
In assisting the hitters, Leister helped coach four all-league performers, including the Patriot League Player of the Year in Christian Hodge. Leister helped Navy lead the Patriot League in average (.275), RBIs (84), slugging percentage (.404), on-base percentage (.398) and fielding percentage (.989).
In his second season on staff with the Midshipmen, Leister helped direct Navy to a 14-1 record during a shortened 2020 campaign. The Midshipmen also had their second-longest, single-season winning streak with 14-straight victories to end the regular season.
He arrived to Navy following a stint as the pitching coach at The Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, while also holding the same roles on the Mid-Atlantic Red Sox 16U team.
Prior to his time in Potomac, Leister was the head of baseball player development at Koa Sports and was also the head coach of an organization in the Maryland Collegiate Baseball League.
Leister started his coaching career at Our Lady Good Counsel High school in Olney, Maryland, where he was the head junior varsity coach for the baseball program and was the pitching and infield coach for the varsity team for two seasons.
Leister graduated from Shepherd University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in recreation and leisure studies: sport marketing.
Casey lives in Estero with his wife, Lauren and daughter, Blakely. Blakely recently won the FGCU basketball halftime baby race in December of 2025.
