Yup, I think this is along the lines of what we will do. As the season moves along, maybe pull 1 or 2 in periodically to give them a try and pitching (in practice) and see if any look like they could/want to do it.I picked my best 3 candidates for pitching and worked with each of them before/at beginning of practice while the other coaches put the rest of the team through hitting or fielding drills. Luckily one of the pitchers was DD so we also worked at home.
You just don't have enough time before the season starts to have a meaningful impact. Get them game ready first and then circle back to hitting. You get the least amount of return on your time focusing on hitting to start the season.
I'm not discounting this at all, and sincerely not being snarky (I'm here to learn), but I don't understand that perspective. Why would making hitting a primary part of our practice routine not pay off? If we can work on basic technique and get the girls confident at the plate, why wouldn't that have a meaningful impact. I coached 6-7 of the players at the 8u level and saw them improve quite a bit (for that level of play, coach pitch) hitting the ball.