Eligibility for Junior College Sports

From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Chaz wrote:
I am transferring from 4 year to a Junior College to play Baseball and Basketball. I did not play any sports my freshman year at the 4 year college. I passed a total of 17 credits of a total attempted of 29 credit hours. My basketball coach says I must have 24 credit hours passed to be eligible. My baseball coach says it is no problem. Everything I read says that the 24 hours of credit only applies to student athletes. I was not an athlete. Do you know about this rule? Thank you for any and all advice!

From the Baseball Pro:
This is without a doubt not my expertise. I do not feel qualified to counsel you in any way when it comes to NCAA rules and regulations. They are constantly changing their rules so your coach or athletic counselor would be the best advisor.
Your Baseball Pro, Steve Holm

P.S. Eligibility would not be a problem if you passed more classes! Seriously, focus on the academics. Steve made a very smart move by taking an extra year in the off season to complete his degree–so he is eligible to become a college baseball coach after the pros. It’s a good career……but colleges do require that their coaches set an example for players!
Team Mom, Jean