A few years ago a kid from our high school was invited to walk on at a mid major D1 (CAA). The kid and the dad were pumped. Dad told people his kid was going to be playing there.
When walk on tryouts happened in September the head coach didn’t show. There was an assistant and a few players helping out. After forty-five minutes the players were called off the field and thanked for coming. They were told there weren’t any available roster spots. But, thanks for coming. You’re welcome to try again next year.
I don’t think the coach intentionally screwed the kid. But he was marginal to make the team. The coach probably found better talent between their conversation and walk on tryouts.
Be very careful what you’re hearing when the term walk on comes up in conversation. It’s not a generic term. It means different things in different situations. At the least, it’s typically the long, hard road to surviving college baseball. The player must make an immediate impact on the coaching staff just to survive the first year.