October is an important month for major league baseball because the long season has finally added up to the wild card, playoff games, and of course, the World Series. This is a grueling process. 

Some teams you did not think stood a chance end up coming out on top. Some people seem confused about the postseason process however, and that is why I am going to break it down with the help of a more familiar topic: sorority rush. Who knew two totally unrelated things could be so similar?    

Ten Major League teams make the playoffs. This may be a little more or a little less than the number of sororities you start out with in the recruitment process. However, out of the ten teams there are two wild card teams. 

These are the two teams that had good winning records throughout the regular season but did not have the best record of their respective divisions (there are two divisions – The American League and the National League, so therefore two wild card teams). Think of the wild card teams as the sorority that you did not exactly picture yourself in, but you are surprised by how much you like them after the first round.      

After the two wild card teams are decided by a one-game playoff, the real fun begins. Just like in recruitment, each round gets more intense. The division series consists of four teams in each division (eight total) facing off. The two teams in each division that wins in a best-out-of-five go on to the next round. 

Just as in sorority rush, some teams blow the other teams out of the water and clearly have an advantage over the other, but there are also teams that are very comparable and have traits that are desirable. Therefore, in this round you really get to know what the team/sorority is all about. 

You begin to realize how the members of the group interact with each other and make the team/sorority function as a whole. For recruitment, the hard part is deciding which sororities should be some of the first to go. In baseball, the teams sometimes play all five games for a team to finally move on to the next round.      

Next is the League Championship series, or in recruitment terms, the Philanthropy round. The contenders have narrowed down even more and in this round you see what they strive for. In baseball, you see which team proves that they have what it takes to make it to the World Series. 

Are they making fantastic defensive plays? Are they giving it everything they got at their at-bats? The same goes for the sororities. They show you what they aim to do. Whether if it is to help those in need or give to a large cause, they show you just what it means to be in their sorority. The playoff teams have been narrowed down to four and only two will go on to the World Series. The sororities have been narrowed down as well. Which ones will you choose to go back to? Will they choose you?      

It is finally the last round. It’s the World Series – the Pref round of Major League Baseball. The two remaining teams face off in a seven game series. Whichever team wins four out of seven are the World Series champs. 

In Pref round, you have about three sororities remaining and just like in baseball, anything could happen. You could go into the round thinking you know you want, but then you may leave thinking something totally different. That is because in this round everyone is putting their hearts on the line. 

In baseball the underdog may end up winning more games than they were expected to, and they may even just go on to win the whole thing. In comparison, you may end up leaving Pref round deciding that the sorority you thought you wanted is actually the one you do not want. In baseball and in recruitment, “homeruns” and “foul balls” are hit. At times the process is stressful and hearts are heavy, but it is all be worth it when you reach the final victory.   

For baseball, the victory comes when you win the World Series, take home the trophy, and spray champagne everywhere. This is similar to bid day. That is because you are excitedly greeted by all of your new sisters and you celebrate with them the rest of the day. 

For both baseball and recruitment, all of those late nights, tears shed (and even some sweat), disappointments, and times where you did not think you were going to make it through all finally pay off. The team in baseball that proves they are the best wins the title of being the champions, and the sorority that proved that they are the best fit for you wins the title of being your new home.      

See? Baseball isn’t so boring after all.