Baer and Brown Receive All-SLIAC Honors
ST. LOUIS, MO. – Eureka's Cody Baer (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap/Southwestern Illinois) has been selected to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First Team. Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual/Lincoln) was selected to the All-SLIAC Third Team.
Senior big man from Morton, Illinois, Cody Baer was one of only two players in the SLIAC to average a double-double this season. Baer tallied thirteen double-doubles throughout the year and led the conference in boards per game (10.8) and total rebounds (271) for the second straight season. His 10.8 board per game average this season ranks third best in program history, trailing only behind Chris Eaton's 11.7 in 1993-94 and Baer's own 11.6 in 2022-23. Baer's total of 271 rebounds is the fourth-most in program history, trailing only behind Chris Eaton's 363 (1993-94) and 275 (1992-93) and Baer's own 290 last season.
This season, Baer led the league in total points scored, accumulating 526 points in 25 games played. He finished 2nd in the conference for points per game, averaging 21.0 in all contests, and posted 20 or more points a remarkable thirteen times, dropping a season-high 33 points at Greenville on February 14th. Baer also ranked first in the conference with a 82.0 percent free-throw percentage, knocking down 132 of 161 tries from the free-throw line. Plus, he assisted his teammates 39 times this season, up from 29 last season. On the defensive end, Baer posted 28 blocks (6th most in SLIAC) and picked up 21 steals, up from 18 in 2022-23.
Junior guard, Peewee Brown, out of Peoria, Illinois, joined Baer among the All-SLIAC honorees, being selected to the All-SLIAC third team. Brown averaged 19.9 points per game and tallied 478 points total (3rd in the SLIAC in both) this season. Brown also averaged 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the field. Brown's 6.3 boards per game ranked 8th in the SLIAC overall and was the 3rd best among guards. His total of 59 steals was also the 3rd most in the conference.
Brown notched 20 or more points on twelve occasions this season. He scored a career-high 48 points against Greenville on February 14th, going 17-for-27 from the field. In November, he was named SLIAC Player of the Week after contributing 27 points in the Red Devils' win over Rockford, where he knocked down three three-point field goals, recorded four steals, and shot 10-for-16 from the field.
Junior guard Koen Woods (Gridley, Ill./El Paso-Gridley) was the Red Devils' representative on the All-Sportsmanship Team.