It may not have been the Women’s College World Series, but last summer’s trip to Japan as part of USA Softball’s Japan All-Star Series certainly had a different level of intensity.

And Texas shortstop Viviana Martinez, a sophomore from Arizona, says that experience helped prepare her for this season’s run to the WCWS, which begins for Texas on Thursday against Stanford.

“It just opened my perspective on things,” said Martinez, a stalwart in the Longhorns’ lineup over the past two seasons. “I mean, playing that Japan team was really cool. Seeing how they played, the speed that they played with. I just learned a lot about the game from playing them. And I think it allowed me to grow mentally as well.”

Texas coach Mike White, himself a former player with plenty of international experience, could tell the difference when Martinez returned to Austin after her time with the U.S. national team. Always a calm sort at shortstop, she showed even more poise both in the field and at the plate.

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“Well, she's one of those kids that just seems to have that great attitude,” White said. “Just nothing really gets her down. And even when she makes an error, you can't really tell, you know? Sometimes you feel like, 'Hey, show me if you get a heartbeat up there or something.’ But she won't, she doesn't. And that can be a good thing.”

In fact, White compared her temperament to that of his captain, second baseman Alyssa Washington. And that’s high praise from a demanding coach who values players that set the program’s standards, both on and off the field.

“I can see her being like another Alyssa, a future leader on this club,” he said.

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Mike White started recruiting Viviana Martinez in middle school

During his playing career as a pitcher for both his native New Zealand and his adopted country of the U.S., White saw first-hand what success on the international stage can mean for a player like Martinez. And Martinez isn’t the only Longhorn that has captured the attention of USA Softball; junior third baseman Mia Scott seemed on pace to secure a roster spot for USA Softball’s Japan All-Star Series before suffering an injury, and catcher Reese Atwood has powered her way into the spotlight after a sterling sophomore season.

“I've been there myself,” White said. “I've played for two different countries, New Zealand and USA, and it's the greatest honor in the world to be able to wear that name across your chest, and I think she (Martinez) got a lot of experience from that. We love that, when we get those kids with those opportunities and, hopefully, Reese will soon be in that mix.”

Martinez’ success comes as no surprise to White, who began recruiting her from the bustling Phoenix suburb of Tolleson in middle school. Martinez originally committed to White when he coached at Oregon, and she eventually switched her pledge to Texas after White left Oregon for Texas in 2018.

“He (recruited) me at a pretty young age for softball; he put trust in me, so I put my trust back in him,” Martinez said about her decision to play at Texas. “Back then, I saw how he changed the University of Oregon, their softball program.”

White has done the same for a Texas program that had slipped toward mediocrity in the latter years of head coach Connie Clark, Texas’ first softball coach who led the program from 1997 through 2018. After leading the Longhorns to five WCWS berths and 11 40-win seasons in her first 17 years, Clark went 177-105 without a single super-regional appearance in her final five seasons.

In his first six seasons at Texas, White has a 256-78-2 record with two WCWS appearances and has never missed the super regionals. He’s bolstered his roster with timely transfers as well as high-level recruits, including Martinez, who was ranked as the No. 1 infielder and No. 3 overall prospect in Extra Inning Softball’s Class of 2022 player rankings.

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Glove, bat, mentality make Viviana Martinez a star

What makes Martinez special, besides her preternatural poise for a player only in her second collegiate season?

Her father, Victor Martinez, played in the Seattle Mariners organization from 1995 to 2000 and helped teach his daughter to bat left-handed at an early age. Hitting’s never been an issue; after earning All-Big 12 freshman honors a year ago while batting .346 with five home runs and a single-season school record of 52 RBIs for a freshman, Martinez hit .396 with five more dingers and 51 RBIs this year.

But fielding remains her calling card. She’s started 117 of a possible 120 games over the past two seasons and leads the team with 126 assists to go along with a .933 fielding percentage this season. Martinez does have a team-high 14 errors, evidence that even the top players have room for improvement.

“She just has those smooth hands and feet, just the ability to move to the ball,” White said. “You know, I always tell kids when we're at clinics and camps, you can always tell the best players just by the way they walk and carry their glove, the way they take the field. And I think it's very true. And she was one of those early ones who had all that. I said, ‘Hey, that kid can play.’”

Martinez shrugs off the praise much like she would an early-inning error.

“I think just having that experience that I have now, I've improved on the field and off the field,” she said. “And it’s about my team, just having the support with them and from the coaches and the whole staff. It just pushes me to want to get better.”

Women's College World Series

Thursday, 6 p.m., Texas (51-7) vs. Stanford (48-15), ESPN2

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: USA Softball experience helps Viviana Martinez, Texas reach World Series