Lessons

Coach Adam Dewane has been a PTA coach since 2018 and serves as the Youth Director and a Coach. Known for his ability to connect with players, Coach Dewane excels at creating a fun and positive environment that helps athletes realize their potential. He has coached numerous players who have gone on to play at the collegiate and professional levels and has also worked with the USA Baseball NTIS circuit.

Coach Aaron Simmons is a powerful addition to the PTA coaching staff, bringing both record-setting playing experience and a strong background in player development. At UW–Stevens Point, Simmons set the program’s all-time single-season home run record before continuing his career professionally with the Schaumburg Boomers. As a coach, Simmons has worked with hitters to improve barrel efficiency, exit velocity, and overall approach at the plate, helping athletes boost their averages and on-base percentages. He has also trained PTA South outfielders and infielders, focusing on defensive fundamentals and base running to round out complete players.

Coach Myles Smith brings more than a decade of baseball experience across college, professional, and international levels. A Detroit native, he played at the University of Missouri, Miami Dade College, and Lee University before being selected in the 4th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox. His career included time in the Red Sox and Diamondbacks organizations, championships in the minors, and a stint in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. Smith went on to become a standout in the American Association, earning Pitcher of the Year honors and four All-Star selections.

Coach Mike Thrun brings an impressive playing and coaching resume to the field. As a player at UW-Stevens Point, he was a 1st Team All-Conference selection and won four WIAC Conference Tournament Championships. As a coach, he has guided eight players who have gone on to play professional baseball. Since joining the PTA staff in 2015, he has specialized in training former PTA professional and collegiate players.

Coach Kenny Weimer has been coaching at PTA for 3 years as the director of PTA South. He pitched at Finlandia University in college and is currently the assistant pitching coach at Milwaukee Area Tech. Kenny excels at programming, mechanical analysis, and using data to improve pitchers’ arsenals via Trackman. Outside of baseball, Kenny enjoys watching Marlins games and nerding out about Trackman data.

Coach Braedon Blackford is the Head Baseball Coach at Brookfield East High School and a former collegiate and professional player. A standout at Carl Sandburg College, Blackford also played at Illinois State University and Purdue Fort Wayne, where he earned First Team All-Horizon League honors and set the school's single-season RBI record. Professionally, he played in the MLB Draft League, earning Hitter of the Month honors with the State College Spikes, and later in the Pioneer League, where he hit .326 with 13 home runs and 65 RBIs while helping lead his team to a league championship.

Coach Christ Conley brings extensive experience as both a player and coach to the PTA staff. He competed at the Division I level for Canisius College from 2014–2018 and earned multiple summer league honors, including NYCBL All-Star (2014), two-time PGCBL All-Star (2016, 2017), and PGCBL Player of the Year (2017). Conley began his professional career with the Utica Unicorns in 2018 before joining the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association in 2019, where he continues to play. In addition to his playing career, Christ has been coaching youth through high school athletes since 2014.

With 16 years of coaching experience and 14 years as a player, Coach Charles Gawle has worked with athletes ages 7-18 at the high school and travel levels throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. His coaching experience includes Head Freshman, Head JV, and Varsity Assistant Coach roles. He currently serves as the Head JV Coach at Hartford Union High School and Head Travel Coach for 17U PTA West. Throughout his coaching career, he has worked alongside and learned from experienced coaches and players, helping develop athletes who have gone on to play at the D1, D2, D3, NAIA, JUCO, and professional levels, including three MLB Draft picks. Coach Charles emphasizes process over results, teaching players to focus on what they can control, compete with purpose, and make the most of every pitch and every rep.

Coach Ryan Kelly enters his first season at PTA, bringing 10 years of high school coaching experience to the club. Ryan has spent 9 years coaching at Cudahy High School before joining the St Thomas More High School program for the 2026 season.