Off the machine and at the same speed....start them at normal depth, and move them up after 10 swings.....ball isn`t moving any faster out of the machine, but they have to adjust to the shorter distance.
Or just run them until they puke I can`t believe I just said that.
I would work in defense. In order to lose, your team must give up some runs. That means the defense wasn't up to par. To me, hitting if over rated. Defense and good pitching wins games.
Although I agree that you need to have a strong defense, if your team can't hit there is no way to get the runs needed to win (aside from the other pitcher walking a lot of batters). Also, if your batters are watching the third strike they are NOT getting on base!