Taylor Black set foot on Kentucky’s campus for the 2010 baseball season facing high expectations. A freshman All-American at Charleston Southern and a junior college star at Spartanburg Methodist College, Black transferred to UK and earned a starting role at shortstop.His UK career, though, did not get off to an auspicious start. His first dozen games were marked by an offensive and defensive slump that prompted coach Gary Henderson to give the junior a day off to get back on track. Following the well-timed off day, Black became one of the best all-around shortstops in the Southeastern Conference.Thanks to his stirring finish to 2010, expectations for Black’s performance in 2011 were even higher than his first season at UK. However, with a roster full of newcomers, UK could not afford another slow start from its senior shortstop. Particularly since he was being asked to bat leadoff, Black needed to give his team a spark from the first pitch. “I need to be a catalyst on offense, especially being one of the returning guys in the lineup,” Black said. “We didn’t really have many returners come back in the heart of the batting order. I feel like if I can get on base, I can show our younger guys that it’s possible. I feel like I need to lead the team go out there and play hard every day and see if the others will follow.”Black has thrived in his role as a catalyst of the offense, making his rough start to his junior season a distant memory with a stellar first 13 games of 2011. Starting each of UK’s games, Black leads the team in batting average (.340), slugging percentage (.566) and runs batted in (12).”He’s had a great start to the year,” Henderson said. “He’s playing extremely well for us. He gives us some offensive production, tremendous defense and some senior leadership which is really valuable.Considering that Black managed just six hits in 33 at-bats and committed eight errors in the first 12 games last season, his hot start comes as a major relief.”It’s good, it’s a lot more comfortable (starting off so well),” Black said. “Last year I was in a new environment and this year I know where I’m at and I know what I need to do compete and do my best.”Slumps are part of the game and Black received an education in how to deal with one in 2010. The experience that Black gained from suffering through and getting himself out of that extended slump has played a role in how well he has opened 2011. “It’s baseball,” Black said. “It’s one of those games where there’s a lot of failure. I learned that I just have to go out there and have fun. If I do that, good things will happen.”Over the final 44 games of 2010, Black rebounded extremely well, batting .290, hitting 11 home runs and knocking in 32 runs. Henderson said that the confidence he built in bouncing back from his start has been crucial to his early season success this year.”I think what he learned (from recovering after the slump) is that he’s good enough to play here,” Henderson said. “Anytime you’re in a new environment there’s a period of acclimation where you wonder ‘Am I good enough?’ And I think that’s common. I think that’s what he took from last year’s experience, that he’s good enough to be a really good player here.”If not for Black’s production, the Wildcats would likely be much worse off than the 6-7 record they have posted following a 9-4 loss against Middle Tennessee State on Wednesday in Lexington.Even though the game against MTSU ended in defeat, it should come as no surprise that Black was smack dab in the middle of UK’s seventh inning rally that momentarily tied the game at three. Black was 0 for 3 entering the frame and UK had scored just one run, but he delivered a two-out RBI single to bring UK to within a run. Later, he delivered a run scoring sacrifice fly in the ninth inning.Kentucky’s 8-1 home win over Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday was even better example of how Black can spur his team. Black batted in his customary leadoff spot and had four of UK’s 12 hits and scored three of Kentucky’s eight runs. He finished just a home run shy of the cycle and had a steal of home to boot. It’s difficult to imagine a leadoff hitter doing much more to spark his team.”He’s done a great job for us,” Henderson said. “He’s batting well above .300. He’s gotten to the point where he’s a base-stealing threat. The job of the leadoff guy is to get on, provide some opportunity for the guys behind him and to get his teammates some fast balls to hit by being a base-stealing threat.”As much as Black is asked to do offensively, he also plays a central role in UK’s defense.Entering this season, UK figured to rely a great deal on its pitching, meaning that Black’s defense is that much more important. Kentucky’s starters, led by Alex Meyer, Jordan Cooper and Taylor Rogers, have been the Wildcats’ steadiest group in an up-and-down year and they have relied on Black to anchor the defensive group backing them up. Veteran leaders like Chris Bisson and Marcus Nidiffer led the infield last year, but now it’s up to Black.”It’s definitely different for me because we had Bisson and Marcus in the infield,” Black said. “Now I have to talk to the pitchers a lot more and calm everybody down when the game gets tight. I have to step in the leader role.” Defense has always been both a priority and strength for Black, so stepping into a leadership role is a natural progression.Black knows from last year that slumps at the plate are a baseball inevitability, but that, as a leader, he cannot allow his batting to affect his fielding. Chalk that up as another lesson learned.”A shortstop’s role on the team is to play defense behind the pitcher,” Black said. “If he doesn’t hit but he still plays defense, he’s a good part of the team. That was the biggest thing I had to learn: I’m going to have up days and down days batting, but as long as I’m solid on D I’m going to be good for our team.”The Wildcats begin SEC play on March 18-20 against Tennessee. If the Wildcats expect to develop as they hope to, Black’s steadiness will play a central role as young players develop around him.”I think we’re going to be a good team,” Black said. “The young guys really haven’t seen the competitiveness of the SEC and how hard it is to win on a daily basis. I think early we might struggle a little bit, but I think we’re going to get in a groove. Our team has a really good feel to it right now and if we can go out and hit the ball, pitch and play on the same page, I think we’re going to be really good.