I read this thread through twice and still have questions.
Background: The small D1 college where my son has walked on to pitch (from out of state) has lost 5 players this fall, four of which which signed NLIs this year (HS class of 2015), according to the web, so I assume they were on scholarship. The 5th was a sophomore that red-shirted last year, so I know nothing of his scholarship status. Four of the five, including the sophomore, left the school altogether--packed up and went home. One freshman stayed at the school, but decided not to play baseball. This leaves exactly 35 players on the team.
Question: A) Does the freshman who remains at the school, but left the team count as a roster spot in the spring since he's still enrolled? B) Do all of the players who've left who were on scholarship count in the 27 that must be on the roster, even though they are not enrolled for the spring, thus pushing the roster back up to 39-40? C) Since at least 4 scholarship recipients walked away, does that free up money for the spring or does the NCAA consider that locked up for the year? Thanks in advance for your help. This seems very complicated.