Our Program Staff
Manager of Angels Softball - Mike Gappa
We are excited to announce our newest addition to the #angelsfamily - Mike Gappa, Manager of Milwaukee Angels Softball.
Coach Mike Gappa grew up in Greenfield, WI. He attended Whitnall High School where he played baseball and football. He led the baseball team to a conference title in 2000 and an appearance in the state semi-finals in 2001 as well as the first two football conference titles in the school's history in 1998 and 2000. After high school Coach Gappa played baseball for Lakeland University leading the team to three conference titles and a 5th place finish in the College World Series in 2002. Coach Gappa was a member of the New Berlin Lakers in Land O'Lakes from 2000-2011 where he was a 9-time All-League catcher, 2004 and 2010 Grand Championship runner up, and finished with a career .476 average along with 31 home runs. He was elected to the Land O Lakes Old Timers Association Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.
After graduating from Lakeland in 2005 Coach Gappa began his goals to coach and help create great experiences in youth sports. Coach Gappa has been coaching baseball/softball teams since 2006. He has been a head coach in youth football since 2018 and coaching boys/girls basketball since 2010. Coach Gappa has spent a lot of time in leadership positions the past 10 years including spending over 6 years running the Whitnall softball program, vice president of the Whitnall Booster Club, and president of Whitnall Youth Football/Cheer. Coach Gappa began coaching high school softball at Whitnall in 2019. In 2023, Mike Gappa became the Whitnall High School Head Varsity Softball Coach.
Coach Gappa has shared his passion for sports with his children and they have grown up on the ball field. His daughters are a senior and junior at Whitnall High School. His son is currently in 7th grade at Whitnall middle school. His oldest daughter recently signed her commitment to follow in her dad's steps and will be a catcher for the Lakeland University softball team starting in the fall of 2023.
8U & 12U Angels Softball - Brian Johnsen
Leading our 8U and 12U teams is Coach Brian Johnsen. In addition to his commitment to our teams Johnsen will help guide our fall and winter clinics. Johnsen has over 20 years of coaching experience and is currently the Varsity Head Baseball Coach for Greendale High School. Brian was named the Woodland Conference Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2019 and the Coach of the Year in Southeastern Wisconsin in 2019. We’re thrilled to have Coach Johnsen with our program as he will work endlessly to help develop all of our athletes!
12U Angels Softball - Emyli Kreiser
Emyli started playing softball when she was 8 years old and has loved the game ever since. She played travel ball locally being part of a team that won competitive Class A exposure tournaments, and a National Tournament. In high school she won a State Championship as a full-time varsity starter. Following high school, Emyli started as a freshman for Ripon College where she tied the school record for most doubles hit in a game, had one of the highest batting averages on the team, and tied for most homeruns hit that season. She finished out her college career at Lakeland University.
Emyli’s playing experience provides her an extensive knowledge of the game which she recently used as a coach with the Greenfield Ignitors and Sussex Hamilton. We are excited to have her join the Angels where she can share her knowledge and be a positive role model to our players.
14U Angels Softball - Chad Dornbach
Coach Chad Dornbach joined the Milwaukee Angels Softball last year as a Head Coach for our 12U team and will coach the 14U this year. He has seven years of head coaching experience in baseball and has spent six years as a softball head coach, previously with the Waukesha Blazers. Dornbach has been a staple in the softball community, and it has been fun to watch his teams and players develop under his leadership. Chad will also help coach our fall and winter clinics.
16U Select Angels Softball - Jim Becker
Jim will be the Head Coach for our 16U select team in 2022-23. He has 12 years of experience with both travel baseball (8U-16U) and softball (10U-16U) as well as high school softball. Jim is the current President of the Muskego Athletic Assoc. He started and runs the MAA Flag football league for the past 9 years with 400+ kids. Jim is a WIAA certified umpire and lives by the words “Fall down 7 times, get up 8”. Please join us in welcoming Jim to the Angels Family.
