ROCK HILL, S.C. - With the season-opener less than 48 hours away, defending South Atlantic Conference Tournament champion Anderson has been predicted finish second in the South Atlantic Conference, just behind Wingate, in a vote by the league's coaches as released Thursday by the league office.

In addition, junior Molly Child earned First-Team All-SAC honors, while senior Jessica Neidigh and sophomores Courtney Czentnar and Lauren Rudesheim collected second-team all-conference accolades.

"This is only a preseason poll and I do not know if we are worthy of being picked second, but in my opinion it's a lot better than being picked number one because of the scrutiny," said Anderson head coach Tommy Hewitt, the 2014 SAC Coach of the Year. "Obviously it's early in the year and we have a lot to prove before we start to worry about polls. At least we don't have a target on our back. However we do have one to look at up front."

Wingate, which collected seven first-place votes and 122 points, claimed the top spot in the poll after finishing third in the regular season a year ago. The Trojans, who garnered a share of last season's regular-season title along with nine-time conference champion Lenoir-Rhyne, defeated the Bulldogs for the 2014 SAC Tournament title.

Anderson accumulated three first-place votes and 120 points en route to capturing the second slot in the poll for the second consecutive season, while placing just in front of Lenoir-Rhyne, which picked up one first-place vote and 119 votes. The Bears, a perennial powerhouse in the Southeast region, have claimed eight SAC Tournament titles since 2000.

Tusculum, which picked up the final first-place nod, and Carson-Newman shared the fourth spot in the preseason poll, with 89 points apiece. Catawba (86 points) and Lincoln Memorial (82 points) occupied the sixth and seventh spots, respectively. Brevard, Queens, Coker and Newberry rounded out the poll.

Hewitt has assembled a core group of veterans along with a talented collection of newcomers, as AU looks to earn their third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans have tallied a school-record number of wins in each of the last three seasons, capped by last year's 43 victories.

Child, a two-time First-Team All-South Atlantic Conference selection and a Third-Team All-America honoree a year ago, has started every game in center field for the Trojans over the past two seasons. She ranked second in the South Atlantic Conference and 34th nationally with 14 home runs, which was the third-most in school history, and blasted a pair of grand slams last season. A native of LaGrange, Ga., Child led the conference with 130 total bases, which was just two shy of the school record. She tied for second on the team with 22 multiple-hit games and led the Trojans with a season-high 18-game hitting streak, while her .405 batting average for the season was fourth in the SAC and is eighth in AU's record books.

Neidigh is a two-time All-Southeast Region selection and claimed All-America honors following her sophomore campaign for the Black and Gold. The standout second baseman has captured postseason all-conference accolades following each of her three collegiate seasons. Neidigh is on the cusp of becoming the school's all-time career hits leader and has started every game over the last three years. She led the Trojans with 23 multiple-hit games and posted an 11-game hitting streak in the middle of last season, while leading the league with 26 stolen bases and ranking second in the SAC with 60 runs scored and fourth in base hits

Czentnar started 53 of the 55 contests she played in last season, while ranking fifth in the league after blasting 11 home runs. The right fielder was named Second-Team All-South Atlantic Conference and became the third AU player in four seasons to earn SAC Freshman of the Year honors after recording 49 hits, including nine doubles and two triples, while drawing 13 walks en route to posting a .314 batting average and a .609 slugging percentage.

A native of Columbus, Ga., Rudesheim was seventh in the conference with 16 wins a year ago, and tied for sixth in single-season wins in the AU record books. She tossed three shutouts and earned pair of saves, while working 118 1/3 innings. The right-hander held opponents to a .225 batting average, which was sixth-best in the conference.

"I'm real happy for Jessica, Molly, Courtney and Lauren for their preseason picks," added Hewitt. "I hope their play this year will show they are deserving of this accolade."

Anderson is scheduled to open the season by playing host to Conference Carolinas' opponent Lees-McRae on Saturday morning. First-pitch from Smethers Field is set for 10 a.m.

All-SAC First Team
C - Taylor Laskey, Wingate
1B - Sydney Landreth, Lenoir-Rhyne
2B - Mellena Helms, Wingate
SS - Kaytlin Stroinski, Tusculum
3B - Robyn Stanek, Mars Hill
OF - Kristen Stinnard, Catawba
OF - Molly Child, Anderson
OF - Taylor Rosenbalm, Queens
DP - Ashley Oliver, Lenoir-Rhyne
UTIL. - Amanda Snow, Lincoln Memorial
P - Maryann Hoskins, Lenoir-Rhyne
P - Stacey Houser, Wingate

All-SAC Second Team
C - Sarah Kenley, Lenoir-Rhyne
1B - Ashlee Ellen, Coker
2B - Jessica Neidigh, Anderson
SS - Alexis, Burrell, Wingate
3B - Katherine Shumaker, Catawba
OF - Elayna Siebert, Carson-Newman
OF - Courtney Czentnar, Anderson
OF - Carolyn Williamson, Tusculum
DP - Casey Whitaker, Brevard
UTIL. - Jamie Booze, Mars Hill
P - Carley Tysinger, Catawba
P - Lauren Rudesheim, Anderson

Rank Team (first-place votes) Points
1. Wingate (7) 122
2. Anderson (3) 120
3. Lenoir-Rhyne (1) 119
T-4. Tusculum (1) 89
T-4. Carson-Newman 89
6. Catawba 86
7. Lincoln Memorial 82
8. Mars Hill 64
9. Brevard 43
10. Queens 38
11. Coker 37
12. Newberry 35