At some of the more expensive colleges, it is fairly routine for players to be guaranteed a roster spot even though they are not offered baseball scholarship money.
I can speak with certainty about Duke. Because of the high cost of attendance, many families will qualify for financial aid that is equal to or better than a decent sized baseball scholarship.
For such players, they get admitted to the school, accept the financial aid offer, and then sign an "Institutional Letter of Intent," that the NCAA recognizes and that allows the baseball program to include the player in the press releases about the recruiting class.
At Duke, the baseball program does not distinguish between players on baseball $$ vs. players on financial aid $$ as far as opportunity for playing time.
