Standing at six-foot-two and over 200 pounds, it is easy to see why Jon Myers can belt home runs with ease. Coupled with his seemingly effortless swing, he has all the makings of a pure hitter with a bright future in the game. Myers, a senior, began his last tour in a Billikens uniform on Feb. 18.

This year, however, instead of sharing the spotlight with Danny Brock as the slugger of the SLU lineup, Myers is now one of the few seniors on the squad and is being looked toward for leadership.

With 14 new players on the Billiken roster, Myers has embraced this role.

“It is a fun role to play. You have to set an example for the younger players and set high expectations, so they know they have to pick it up when the time is needed,” Myers said.

Myers has support from other teammates to share the leadership role.

“Nick Becker and Cody Cotter are both great leads as well.”

First picking up a bat and glove at age six, Myers’ career has taken him from the diamonds of Little League to Ft. Zumwalt South High School, then to Meramec Community College in St. Louis and finally here at Saint Louis University.

Eager to get back on the field, Myers’ junior season was cut short almost as early as it began.

He suffered a season ending injury only 14 games into the season.

Determined to battle back and have a strong 2010 season, Myers worked hard to rehab from his injury and even harder to become a better ballplayer.

When the 2010 season rolled around, Myers established himself as one of the most fearsome hitters in the Billikens lineup, if not all of the Atlantic 10.

Coupled with fellow slugger Danny Brock, Myers and the Billikens won the A-10 Conference Tournament, securing a bid in the NCAA Regionals.

Although they fell to Illinois State and Louisville, the season was considered a success by all.

Myers played a key role in not only the A-10 championship, but also in keeping the Billikens in a good position during the regular season. He led the team in batting with a .365 average to go along with 16 home runs and 72 RBIs, second to only Danny Brock in both categories.

Perhaps the most important statistic Myers had to show for last season was making all 62 starts after missing so much time during the 2009 campaign.

With the loss of Danny Brock heading into the 2011 season, Myers remains as the only true power threat in the Billiken lineup.

He is the lone returning player to post more than 10 home runs; the second closest Billiken in that category is Steve Fernandez with five.

With more of the attention focused on him, Myers was motivated to not only improve his offensive game, but his defensive game as well.

“I had to improve my agility and fitness,” Myers said. “My fielding percentage needs to go up.”

To become an even better presence at the plate, Myers worked on adding another dimension to his swing during the off-season– the ability to drive the ball the other way.

“I looked at some of the downfalls of last season and realized what I needed to get better at,” Myers said.

“I worked on some aspects of hitting, mainly hitting the ball to the right side. You just have to push it a little harder each and every offseason.”

Myers found himself in a bit of a slump as the team traveled to Texas to compete in the Al Ogeltree Classic Tournament hosted by Texas-Pan American University.

Myers only collected three hits in 16 at-bats over four games, driving in a single run.

Realistically, there is little cause for concern. Seeing the level of intensity of which he approaches his game and his natural ability, his slump is not likely to last for long.

As for life beyond baseball? Myers would like to extend his career as far as it can go.

“I would love to play professional baseball. It has been my dream since I was young,” Myers said.

Myers realizes the value of his education and that the college experience only comes around once, so before he gets too deep into his professional baseball aspirations,

Myers is focusing on the tasks at hand: Finishing his degree and wrapping up his career as a Billiken on a positive note.

“Right now, I want to concentrate on finishing my degree in management.

I am happy to have a SLU education to fall back on in case the pro-baseball thing does not work out,” Myers said.

Myers and the Billikens continue their journey toward another A-10 crown on Friday, Feb. 25 against Kansas.