Thomas Bernal didn’t have much fun during the second half of the 2013 season.Relegated to the bench with an injured arm, Bernal watched helplessly as UK sputtered down the stretch and fell just shy of an NCAA Tournament berth.”It was tough,” Bernal said. “You can’t really help the team out and you’ve just gotta learn from it.”The Wildcats, without Bernal’s right-handed bat available, simply couldn’t score regularly enough in the rigorous Southeastern Conference. Head coach Gary Henderson never made any excuses, but the numbers don’t lie.UK (20-9, 4-5 Southeastern Conference) batted just .223 as a team and finished the season 10-19 after starting 21-6.”We were kind of rudely awakened to what his presence meant last year, there’s no doubt about that,” Henderson said.Bernal now healthy and filling his regular role as a first baseman, designated hitter and pinch hitter, there’s no arguing his importance. That’s especially true after what he did in UK’s 8-3 win over No. 8 Louisville on Tuesday night.A designated hitter on this day with A.J. Reed at first, Bernal had three hits in four at-bats out of the No. 7 spot in the UK lineup as the Cardinals started freshman lefthander Josh Rogers. All told, he had four RBI, scored two runs and hit the first home run of his college career.”Good to get that off my back,” Bernal said with a laugh. “It feels great. Any home run feels great but to hit it against Louisville feels really good.”His first homer nearly came in the second inning. After U of L struck first for two runs in the second inning, Micheal Thomas and Kyle Barrett reached base to set up a sacrifice opportunity for Storm Wilson. He got the bunt down, moving two runners into scoring position. Free to swing away, Bernal pulled a changeup just foul over the fence down the left-field line. Later in the at-bat, he settled for a single to score Barrett and halve Louisville’s lead.Two innings later, he finally got the monkey off his back, knocking in the go-ahead runs in the process. Thomas and Barrett reached to lead off the fourth and Wilson laid down another successful sacrifice. On the first pitch of his at-bat, Bernal hit a three-run homer that looked like it would leave the park off the bat.Bernal, unconvinced, busted it out of the batter’s box.”I’ve never hit a home run before, so I don’t know how to trot,” Bernal said.Though the home run was his first, Bernal has been a steady presence for UK all season. He’s batting .288, but is just as important for the leadership he developed in part during his half-season out with injury.”He’s just an older kid that’s really mature that people respect,” Henderson said. “He’s a good player, gives us some flexibility when A.J.’s pitching. He’s kind of a team favorite. He’s a kid that everybody respects and admires.”A lot of that respect and admiration comes from the way Bernal handles his split role. Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, he’s the same person and player.”It takes a good attitude,” Henderson said. “It takes all the things that your mom and dad try to teach you as a kid: have a good attitude, try really hard, and be nice to other people. They are basics and he does them well. He is a kid that appreciates what he is a part of and the kids respect him. He is a hard worker and a good player, which is a pretty good combination for us.”