It’ll be champion versus champion today when defending 5A champion Barbe hosts Notre Dame, which has won the last three Division III championships.

The teams will play at 6:30 p.m. at Barbe.

Each team features a prolific offense. Notre Dame set the national record for home runs by a team last season with 96 while going 29-5.

The Pios return slugger Maci Bergeron, who won the Miss Softball award last year as the state’s most valuable player. She hit .571 with 30 home runs and 73 RBIs on the season. The pitcher/catcher was 6-0 in the circle with a 0.38 ERA and 47 strikeouts.

Bergeron committed to play at LSU as a freshman and signed with the Tigers in November. She played for the USA Junior National Team this summer, helping the team win a gold medal at the Junior Pan Am Games in Colombia.

This year, Notre Dame, coached by former McNeese assistant Dale Serie, is off to a 12-1 start and averages 13 runs per game.

The Bucs are 8-5 and outscored opponents 39-5 last week in wins over Southside, Hahnville and Zachary.

The Bucs are led by pitcher Halie Pappion, a Boston College signee and two-way star who has belted seven home runs this season.

Arkansas signee Nyjah Fontenot and Bishop signee Madison Chretien add more pop to the Bucs lineup.

Barbe has scored seven or more runs in eight games this season.

“Halie is seeing the ball week, having great at-bats, is excite about her senior year and last ride,” Bucs head coach Candyce Carter said.

“Everyone is doing a quality job, we are just focusing on having good at-bats. We’ve had Nyjah and Madison but one through nine, kids are doing their jobs and that is what we have been preaching.”

Elsewhere, Grand Lake will host Merryville in a District 4-1A game at 5 p.m. The Hornets (9-3, 0-0) enter on a four-game winning streak.

Merryville (8-6, 1-0) has won three of its last five and opened district play with a 24-0 win over Gueydan last week.