Photo courtesy McClelland Miscellanea

• The trade to the Oakland A’s and their relaxed environment helped Derek Norris (’11) mature as a ballplayer (WaPo [Kilgore])

• Another player in Oakland organization is speedster Billy Burns (’13) who has stolen 44 bases and even slugged a home run this season (MiLB [Traub])

• After a missed season due to labrum surgery, Cory VanAllen (’08-’12) is thriving for his hometown Sugar Land Skeeters (Sugar Land Sun [Marrion])

• Jerad Head {’13) is facing new challenges as a coach with the GCL Nationals (Topeka Capitol-Journal [Haskin])

• Collin Balester (’06-’07) is serving as a mentor in the Appalachian League as he works through a rehab assignment (Bristol Herald Courier [Hayes])

• In his first season as the hitting coach of the rookie-level Boise Hawks, Jesus Feliciano (’05-’06) isn’t just offering hitting instruction (KBOI2.com [Levin])

• Still clinging to his shot at a major league career, Joe Testa (’12) is a setup and late-inning reliever for the independent Sioux Falls Canaries (Tri-Town News [Witkowski])