NAPERVILLE, Ill. - For the second time this season, a Northern Colorado baseball player has been honored by the Great West Conference for their efforts on the field. Senior designated hitter Kevin Sandberg was named the Player of the Week on Tuesday, announced league officials.

Sandberg helped lead the Bears to a four-game series sweep over Texas-Pan American in the final home series of the year. He hit .500 with 17 RBI in the four games, including a three home run contest in the finale where he fell one RBI short of the school record with nine. His three round-trippers ties a school record, while it brought his season total to 20, which knots the single-season record of Dave Keller's from 1982. Sandberg also had an on-base percentage of .545 and a slugging percentage of 1.350 for the week.

The two teams combined for 136 runs in the four games as they broke the Northern Colorado school record for combined runs with 50 in the second game of the series as the Bears won 28-22.

Northern Colorado, along with Houston Baptist and Texas-Pan American will compete in the Division I Independent Championships beginning Thursday at Texas-Pan American. All three teams will compete in the Great West next season, the first year of competition for baseball in the league.