Good discussion so far. Thanks.
Observer 44's comment about it not being an either/or makes sense. So does PA Dino's about needing to lay a foundation. I would definitely have a different view if he decided to skip college altogether or pick a fluff major and coast through college. He does intend to make progress toward a real degree, but he's going to take close to the minimum full-time load as opposed to the schedule needed to graduate in four years. So I guess you could say he's laying the academic part of the foundation slowly. If his baseball playing ends early because of injury or insufficient talent, he won't have to start laying that foundation from scratch. There will already be some well-laid blocks in place.
WraggArm's comment about what comes easily probably applies in terms of desire, not aptitude. He could probably excel at either school or baseball, but not both at the same time. If you're equally good at two things, but really enjoy one of them, it's easier to do the one you enjoy. So he has chosen to make the trade off of trying to excel at baseball while keeping academic options viable, just not primary.
PA Dino: You almost got the premise of my original post. I'm not saying that academics aren't important, but I am saying they can take a back seat in certain circumstances. (Taking a back seat means they're still part of the journey: they're not driving, but they're not getting kicked out of the car either.) I come from a family that placed a great deal of emphasis on academics--I, my parents, and all my brothers and sisters have advanced degrees from respected schools (Cornell, Wash U/St. Louis, Tulane, Rensselaer Polytechnic, etc). My oldest son was a national merit scholar and got a full-tuition academic scholarship. Academics are important. I just think in the case of this particular kid, putting pressure on him to go to a similarly prestigious academic school and graduate "on time" isn't the best thing for him.