Huskies baseball alumni continue careers in leadership roles with MLB affiliates

St. Cloud State University alumni Jordan Smith and Trevor Cho can’t remember a time in their lives when they didn’t love baseball.

Originally from Willmar, Smith grew up playing baseball with his family. From annual games in the backyard every Thanksgiving to playing catch with his uncles, it was almost always involved in most family outings. The person who really introduced Smith to baseball, though, was his father.

“My dad enjoyed it. I think any kid — when your dad's passionate about something, you want to spend time around your dad,” he said. “He coached me basically all the way up in some capacity. It was just one of those things where it was a passion of his, and then it quickly became a strong passion of mine.”

For Cho, growing up in the golden age of Derek Jeter is what cemented his love for baseball.

“I'm from Milwaukee and I grew up a Brewers fan, but really the first player I remember was Derek Jeter,” Cho said. “Ever since I was probably 4 or 5 years old, the only thing I really wanted to be in life was the shortstop for the Yankees, just like my childhood hero.”

Both Smith and Cho were looking for the next logical step for their respective baseball careers as they graduated high school. Enter SCSU coach Pat Dolan.

“Coming out of high school, I really didn't know what I wanted to do. I think every kid in Minnesota wants to go to the U of M because it's the only Division I school in the state, so that's where I wanted to play without knowing anything,” Smith said. “As I went throughout the recruiting process, I just really loved Dolan — his consistency and his passion, the way he was constantly communicating with me. SCSU just felt like a place where I would be able to go and play and feel wanted.”

“When I think back to St. Cloud, it was a very exciting time in my life. You're in college for the first time and you always dreamed about playing college baseball,” Cho said. “Coach Dolan — recruiting me and going through that experience with him and all the classic ‘Dolanisms’ — I’ll always remember that.”

Cho and Smith each spent two seasons with the Huskies before moving on in their baseball trajectories. Cho transferred to University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, while Smith was drafted by Major League Baseball as one of the highest draft picks in SCSU program history.

Smith played nearly 800 games over seven minor league seasons, reaching as high as AAA before joining the Cleveland Guardians’ minor league coaching staff. While coaching outfield defense, baserunning and some catching through the years, he completed his SCSU degree in 2021. He spent the last four years managing, most recently serving as manager of the reigning Carolina League champion Lynchburg Hillcats — the Guardians’ Class A affiliate. At the end of 2025 he signed with the Minnesota Twins to manage the organization’s Class A affiliate Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.

“It was a magical season of guys continuing to step up,” Smith said. “When a leader would get called up and his career would advance, we're like, ‘Alright, who wants to take advantage of this opportunity to not only play more, but to be able to lead more?’”

While Cho played baseball and finished school in Wisconsin, he also started coaching.

“Life got a little crazy for me. I would wake up in Whitewater, Wisconsin. I would drive 40 minutes to Madison, be there around 9 or 10 a.m. I’d do all the college stuff, games, practices and all from 10 a.m. to 2 or 3 p.m. And then I would drive an hour to Waukesha, do lessons from 4 to 8 p.m., and then I would actually drive back to Whitewater and bartend from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.,” Cho said. “So that life was a little crazy, but that's what it takes to be a young coach.”

Cho then went on the road as a coach with STiKS Academy baseball, before heading to Missouri State University for his master’s degree and to work as a graduate assistant coach with the baseball program. He moved through coaching positions with different universities and organizations before he set his sights on coaching with the pros, and is now an assistant hitting coach with the Buffalo Bisons — the Class AAA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.

While both Smith and Cho want their respective teams to succeed on the field, managing and coaching is about more than improving stats and racking up wins.

“For me, it's being a leader, teaching young men how to fail and continue to persevere. My biggest thing is I want to invest in them as men first and then baseball second. The point of all that is what they learn in baseball — the challenges, the failure, they're going to be able to use that for the rest of their lives no matter what they strive to do,” Smith said. “Baseball is a very, very small window and it's really, really hard to get to the highest level. I wasn't able to get there. I know how hard it is to get there; I know the work and the commitment and the sacrifice it takes. So for me, it's just bringing a lot of perspective into it.”

“It's more so just walking next to them,” Cho said. “It's funny; I'm the same age or a lot of these guys are older than me. So it's definitely not a, ‘Hey, do this.’ It's more so like, ‘I see this is happening in the game. How do you think we need to attack this?’ I think one thing I've done well this year is to just be a sounding board for the guys. If they need to talk about something, it's more so just hearing them out and understanding whatever their situation is and just being a support role in that.”

The relationship-building aspect of coaching is something Cho and Smith first found at St. Cloud State.

“It was just one of those places for me that was just the perfect fit. I didn't know it at the time, but now looking back, that couldn't have been any better,” Smith said. “I'll truly give God the credit for being able to steer me there: when I was an 18-year-old kid, not knowing what I wanted, but Dolan being able to step up and be that guy who was consistent and stood behind his word was something that did and still means a lot to me.”

For their old coach, it’s been fun watching his former players thrive.

“You could see their baseball coaching and managing skills as players with the Huskies. They both had an unbelievable knowledge of the game and they both have that quiet-confidence-type of demeanor,” Dolan said. “I don’t think it would surprise any of us to see both of them in an MLB dugout and maybe even as a manager in the future.”

In addition to Dolan, Cho appreciated his time with former SCSU assistant coach Rob “Doc” Swendra.

“He was absolutely phenomenal. We played in St. Paul this year and he was able to come to a game. He's a guy I've seen at a lot of coaching conventions and definitely stayed in close contact with him,” Cho said. “He was such a good coach, walking alongside guys and he was never really telling us what to do. He was kind of always in the trenches with us and he almost felt like a player.”

Looking to the future, both Smith and Cho look at the bigger picture. Cho remembers asking longtime Missouri State coach Keith Guttin about the longevity of coaching.

“One of the questions I asked Coach Guttin was, ‘When you first got the job, did you ever think you'd be the head coach here for 40-plus years?’ And he goes, ‘Trevor, literally the only thing I've ever tried to do is win the next game that we had,’” Cho said. “I think that keeps a lot of things in perspective. I think that keeps you where your feet are, and I think that's something I try to do.”

For Smith, it’s important that his wife and children are part of the baseball journey.

“This last championship that we won was such a cool family accomplishment. It's incredible to see your 8-year-old son just on cloud nine and your daughter being pumped, and being able to kiss your wife and just know that all this work and sacrifice is not for nothing,” Smith said. “I wouldn't be here without them. Between them and the lord, they're my rock.”

Whether looking to continue playing or move into coaching, Cho and Smith encouraged current Huskies to keep grinding and remember their love for the game.

“Follow your passion. The game is going to take care of itself if you play it the right way and you commit to it. You’re going to find out how good you are as you play the game. Certain doors will open, certain doors won't. Walk through those doors that open for you,” Smith said. “Respect the game, play it the right way. The game doesn't owe them or me or anyone anything. It's a game that's been around for hundreds of years. If you respect it, you’ll continue to make relationships in the game. You don't know how or where it'll take you, but it's a fun, fun path for sure.”

“If you have that mindset when it comes to baseball, you're going to be in a good spot, because even on the coaching side, there's so much failure in this,” Cho said. “You're going to get beat up physically, mentally. There's going to be draining days, but you just have to keep going.

“Don't be worried about your performance in the game that night. Focus on being a good teammate, doing things the right way. And when you do see these guys in the future, you're not going to talk about the time when you went 4-4 or if you were an All-American or not. The only things people really do remember are how you acted as a teammate and how you were as a person off the field.”