When they were 9-0, I posted that pitching was the potential Achilles heel. They didn't hit in the first two games against UNC, but the pitching killed them all weekend. Kayla Harris was pounded. Brittany Knight continues to show that her 4-0, 0.00 ERA at the start of the season was an aberration.
I don't know what the answer is. Dominating pitchers are the most sought after commodity in the sport. Even though rules changes have made them less dominant, they still are the key to winning unless you can put up 8 to 10 runs every game.
Aprile hasn't been able to recruit a top notch pitcher. Knight was considered a better IF than pitcher by most evaluators. Dawson was dominant but in a very weak NE prep school league. Next year's recruit appears to be a Knight clone: a combo pitcher and field player.
The WPIAL doesn't turn out great pitchers. The two we had from Elwood City were dominant in HS but didn't cut it in the ACC.
Maybe Aprile needs to go to Australia and get the next Michelle Smith. Except at Pitt, she would have to attend class. (At UCLA, Smith never attended a single class. She enrolled for the Spring term, took the minimum number of credits to be eligible, played ball and then dropped each course before the final.)