Good question M&M - would probably ask the coach if he used either description exactly what it meant. Can he get cut? Will he have a chance to compete as if he were on scholarship?
Interesting note - when our son committed to college, the coach made sure to tell him that from that point forward, it didn't matter to him that who was on scholarship - that he would still have to compete on an even basis with all the other players on the team whether they had scholarship money or not. His goal was to put the best 9 players on the field, regardless of how they got there.
In this case, I believe him!
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"Pitching is the art of instilling fear," Sandy Koufax.