For Jordan Miller, all signs pointed toward now being the right time to follow a new career path.

Miller, a 2004 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate, has accepted the role of head baseball coach at St. Edmond, beginning with the 2025-26 school year. He will replace Mike Szalat, who announced his retirement at the end of the past season.

“I’ve known Coach Szalat for a number of years, and have a lot of respect for him and what he has done for the program,” Miller said. “When he announced he was getting out, it just made the decision to apply a realistic one.

“I loved every minute at Eagle Grove, and that’s what made his decision even harder to make. I don’t have a single negative thing to say about the school. The kids are there and the community is behind them, which is awesome.”

A former Dodger baseball standout, Miller understands the importance of building a program up through the ranks. He continued his playing and academic careers at Iowa Central before finishing up at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minn.

In 2014, Miller took over the Eagle Grove baseball program as head coach — a position that kept him involved at both the middle and high school levels. The Eagles had four winning seasons under Miller, including a best of 16-10 in 2022.

This past winter, Miller lost his brother, Aaron, to a tragic accident. Aaron Miller was a former Dodger baseball player and coach who also worked for the FDCSD as teacher and an administrator.

“Losing my brother really made me want to get home and make an impact in our community like I hope I did in Eagle Grove,” Miller said. “To be honest, the St. Edmond job came open once before and I didn’t have any interest at that time because I had fallen in love with Eagle Grove and what we were doing.

“But things have changed. I need to be closer and around more for my wife and family. This allows me to be just over a mile away from the facility compared to 25 minutes on a good day.”

St. Edmond is slated to return the bulk of its roster from this past summer, including senior starters Grant Galles, Kinnick Henning, Koleman Hanson, Ethan Swisher and Jack McElroy. Blake Bartlett, Maddox Shirbroun, Garrett Royster, Griffin Laufersweiler, Julian Blanco and Jacob Nieland all saw the field regularly in 2025 as well.

“You go through a lot of ups and downs with a program — especially at a smaller school,” Miller said. “But I’ve been able to see what St. Edmond has coming up after working closely with the Eagle Grove middle school team, as well as through my connection with the (Fort Dodge Baseball Association). There are a number of St. Edmond kids rolling through the Legends program.

“It’s very exciting to see what the future holds.”

Miller worked at Hy-Vee in Fort Dodge for a number of years in a variety of roles before joining Iowa Central Community College as the Corrections Education Coordinator. Since 2023, he has worked at Prestage Foods of Iowa in Eagle Grove.

“I can’t thank Eagle Grove enough for giving me the opportunity to learn,” Miller said. “And I can’t thank St. Edmond enough for giving me the opportunity to have a vision for what I want the future of Gael baseball to look like.”

Miller and his wife, Kelly, live in Fort Dodge.