Bentley University sophomore Mike Samko made his first unofficial visit to the Waltham campus nearly two decades ago.

His mother, Mary Kay Samko, aquatics director and head swim coach at Bentley, would often bring her infant son to the pool while she worked with her team.

The Arlington resident went on to captain, and earn All-Independent School League honors in football and baseball at the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge.

In his official debut last spring at Bentley, the 5-foot-8 infielder batted .272 while starting all 33 games for coach Bob DeFelice.

“Mike definitely has his parents’ attributes,’’ said DeFelice, entering his 48th season. “He’s a tenacious kid with a determination to succeed and you want a player with his makeup and character on your team.’’

Samko’s father, Bill, played baseball and football at UConn and is the offensive line coach on Tom Gilmore’s football staff at Holy Cross. He was the head coach at Tufts from 1994-2010.

Mary Kay, in her 20th year at Bentley, was a two-time swimming MVP at Boston College and the first woman inducted into BC’s Varsity Club Hall of Fame.

Mike, a a 20-year-old marketing major, received BB&N’s Patricia Biggar award for excellence in athletics and leadership his senior year.

Q. After your selection to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Rookie team last season, what have you worked on?

A. Having a more aggressive mindset at the plate and being ready to hit. I played with the Watertown Reds (Intercity League) again last summer and worked closely with their coach, Joe Chiodo, on staying back and attacking the ball.

Q. What was behind your decision to attend Bentley?

A. I’ve been around Bentley since I was a toddler and knew the coaches and they knew me, so there was a comfort level. I was somewhat established on campus even before I had to make a college choice.

Q. What is our earliest memory of being around your mom at the Bentley pool?

A. Hanging out with her swimmers when I was three. I remember hitting a Wiffle ball when they would pitch to me at a corner of the pool. That was probably my introduction to a future career in baseball.

Q. Your favorite memory as an athlete at BB&N?

A. My senior year when we beat Belmont Hill in OT, 16-10, on an interception by my teammate, Frankie Williams, who now plays football at Bates. They’re our big rival and it was our first game of the year. I had a couple of pass breakups, one of which was in the end zone so I felt I contributed to the win.

Q. What attributes do you feel you have inherited from your parents?

A. My mom’s quiet toughness and competitive drive and my dad’s physicality and work ethic.

Q. Were you ever coached by your parents?

A. My dad was an assistant coach for my Little League town team in Arlington for three years. Having him there made me work even harder to make him proud of me.

Q. What came more naturally to you at BB&N, playing strong safety in football or second base on the baseball team?

A. I didn’t play football until I was in 8th grade so it didn’t come as naturally. I’ve played baseball since I was 7.

Q. What has been your favorite course at Bentley?

A. My psychology class fall semester. Learning about how people think intrigued me and I even thought about some of the things we talked about as they might apply to baseball.

Q. While in high school, were you involved with the Cambridge community?

A. Yes, through a volunteer program where we would help elementary and middle school kids with their homework and also work with them on the basketball court with their dribbling and shooting.

Q. What did the Biggar Award mean to you?

A. It was cool to be recognized because there were many other outstanding student-athletes at the school and because I pride myself in being a leader.

Q. If you could play for any professional sports team for a day, which would it be?

A. The Patriots, definitely. They’re a team that doesn’t take anything for granted and that’s my attitude as well.

MARVIN PAVE

For full interview go to bostonglobe.com/west.