Part 1 (Storm Wilson) – Part 2 (JaVon Shelby) – Part 3 (Kyle Barrett) – Part 4 (Andrew Nelson)Thomas Bernal was a star shortstop and quarterback for Paso Robles High School in California.

When he got to Kentucky as a walk-on, he immediately immersed himself into learning the nuances of the catching profession during a redshirt season in 2011.During his redshirt freshman season, Bernal served as a key right-handed pinch-hitting option and was the opening-day starter as the designated hitter, helping UK to the NCAA Gary Regional. After the departure of UK’s first-base starters in 2013, he was called upon to be UK’s everyday first baseman, a key role that would allow two-way star AJ Reed to DH on days he was not pitching. UK got off to a strong start, with Bernal’s consistent line-drive approach spearheading a lineup that was hitting .292 and owned a 21-6 record. An errant throw led to a collision near the first-base bag vs. Georgia ended Bernal’s season, with UK limping to a 10-19 record and a .223 team average, narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament. With Bernal’s importance to the UK club firmly emphasized with the injury, the six-foot, 210-pounder starred as a junior in 2014, leading UK back to the NCAA Tournament. A mild-mannered, highly respected standout, Bernal was a breakout performer as a key change of pace from the right side with UK’s lineup riddled with left-handed hitting options – including the record-breaking season chipped in by Reed. He hit .305 in 54 of UK’s games, belting nine doubles, one homer and 32 RBI, sporting a .392 on-base percentage. Bernal’s ability to focus and reach an extra gear of competitiveness is showcased in his situational hitting. He paced UK in hitting against top-25 (.373), top-10 (.370) and top-five opponents (.373), going 5-for-10 in four games vs. No. 1 ranked teams. In SEC series openers – facing the top college arms in the nation’s premier league – Bernal hit an astounding .475 in 10 games. During a 15-game hitting streak over the entire month of April, he sported a .463 average with 31 hits. With UK needing a win in its home matchup with No. 9 Louisville, and in front of a season-best crowd, Bernal had a career day, belting his first career homer and driving in four runs. With a .314 average in 91 career games, Bernal is among the top performers in UK history, but his .355 career average in his three-year SEC career speaks to his ability to perform at a high level when challenged. “I don’t even know what I do differently,” Bernal said about his SEC Friday-night productivity. “Maybe it is those white unis. It’s Friday night in the SEC, you get a little pumped up, you have the adrenaline flowing. Got to bring it and be ready to play.”Not only is Bernal an accomplished performer on the diamond, he is a polished and educated student-athlete off the field. He has already completed his undergraduate degree, is currently working to finish his second degree in communications and has plan for law school following his playing career. As if his continued quest for education didn’t speak to a unique maturity and drive for a college athlete, Bernal married his high school sweetheart, the former Lauren Redberg, during the summer of 2012. “Obviously not a lot of 20-year-olds are married,” Bernal said. “But if you were to ask anyone that knows me they’d probably tell you that I am a little different than most 20-year-olds and they wouldn’t be surprised that I was married. It has helped me mature. I have to worry more about paying bills and stuff like that. My wife is working and making money and that makes my life pretty easy because I can just focus on baseball.”Now a fifth-year senior, Bernal faces a whole new challenge. After proving himself as an elite defender at first base for four seasons, and learning the catching position during a redshirt season, Bernal is shifting over to third base for the 2015 campaign. Despite never having played the position before in an NCAA game, Bernal enters the year as a preseason All-SEC selection by Perfect Game. He will take over for former UK star third sacker Max Kuhn, who became the first player in program history to lead the SEC in runs scored in 2014. Kuhn was a force at the plate, an on-base machine and owned an above-average arm, but was saddled with a .863 fielding percentage and 21 errors as a junior. With Kuhn transitioning to catcher as the 13th-round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics, UK has turned to Bernal as an experienced performer who can handle another challenge. “When I came in here being a utility guy, I would anything I could do to help the team,” Bernal said. “They’d throw me behind the plate, put me at first, and move me to third. I just want to be in the lineup wherever it is and hopefully I can give some freedom to the coaches when they are filling out the lineup.”