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Three players with ties to Johnson County selected in 2026 MLB Draft

Graphic celebrating three baseball players selected in the 2026 MLB Draft. At the top, the MLB logo appears beside the text “2026 MLB Draft” and a yellow-and-blue “JC” logo. Three player photos are displayed across the graphic on a dark blue patterned background. On the left, a player in a white JC baseball uniform is shown pitching, with the caption: “Anson Seibert / Washington Nationals / 20th Round.” In the center, a circular headshot of a player in a JC cap appears above the text: “Austin Berggren / New York Yankees / 15th Round.” On the right, a player in a yellow JC jersey is shown pitching, with the caption: “Victor Christal / Cincinnati Reds / 16th Round.” The design uses blue, yellow, and white team colors throughout.
Posted: Jul 14, 2026

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Johnson County Community College had three players selected on the second day of the Major League Baseball Draft held Sunday in Philadelphia.

Right-hand pitcher Austin Berggren (Olathe East) was selected in the 15th round (368th overall pick) by the New York Yankees. Right-hand pitcher Victor Christal (Bishop Miege) was selected in the 16th round (482nd overall pick) by the Cincinnati Reds and right-hand pitcher Anson Seibert (Blue Valley Southwest) was selected in the 20th round (586th overall pick) by the Washington Nationals.

Berggren played for the Cavaliers during the 2024, helping JCCC to a 53-13 record, a Kansas Jayhawk Conference East Division championship, a Region 6 championship, a No. 1 ranking in the final NJCAA Poll and a sixth-place finish at the JUCO World Series. Berggren has spent the past seasons at the University of Miami Ohio. This year he was named a first-team All-MAC selection as a relief pitcher. He pitched in 44.1 innings in 25 appearances for Miami, securing three wins and seven saves as a closer. Berggren struck out 61 batters and led the team in ERA (3.65) and opponent batting average (.244).

In 2024 with the Cavaliers, Breggren appeared in 18 games, all in relief, posting a record of 1-0 with one save. He struck out 31 batters in 26 innings and finished with an ERA of 2.77, lowest on the staff. He also held opposing hitters to an average of .233, also best on the staff.

This past spring, Christal and Seibert helped the Cavaliers to a perfect 32-0 conference championship season, a program-record 41-game winning streak, a Region 6/District title and the first JUCO World Series National Championship in program history, finishing with a remarkable 67-3 overall record

Christal, who collected JUCO Baseball Blog NJCAA D-I All-America first-team and All-KJCCC second-team honors, made 16 appearances on the mound, 15 as a starter. He finished the season 11-0 with 96 strikeouts over 55.2 innings with an ERA of 3.88. He held opposing batters to a .176 batting average. His 11 victories ranked third in the conference and 18th in the NJCAA. He also ranked third in the conference and 19th in the NJCAA in strikeouts and third and 39th respectively in ERA. On JCCC's season charts, Christal ranks eight in wins and 13th in strikeouts. At the World Series, Christal scattered four hits with no runs over four inning with five strikeouts in a 19-1 blowout over Miami-Dade in the semifinals. In the National Championship Game, he came in for the final two innings, and allowed just one run with four strikeouts, including the final out of the game, to secure an 8-5 win over Blinn and first National Championship in program history.

Seibert appeared in seven games, all in relief, and finished 2-0 with nine strikeouts over 8.2 innings pitched, with an ERA of 2.08. Seibert was ranked No. 10 on Perfect Game USA's Top-500 Prospect List prior to the start of the 2026. His senior year at Blue Valley Southwest, Seibert was rated by Perfect Game as the state's No. 1 overall prospect, leading his team to back-to-back Class 5A state titles, firing a fastball topping out at 97-99 mph. The Detroit Tigers selected him in the 16th round of the 2024 MLB Draft, but he turned down their offer to attend the University of Tennessee. Seibert redshirted his true freshman season with Volunteers in 2025 after undergoing Tommy Johns surgery. He underwent a follow-up adjustment procedure in September 2025 which caused him to miss the fall season and early part of the 2026 season.