SANTA ROSA – The Cal baseball team had reason to celebrate at the beginning and end of Monday's first round of the Major League Baseball draft.

First baseman Andrew Vaughn became the highest drafted player in program history when the Chicago White Sox chose him with the No. 3 overall pick.

A bit later, the Houston Astros plucked catcher Korey Lee with the final pick of the round at No. 32 overall. It marked the first time in Cal history that two Bears were taken in the first round of the same draft.

Vaughn was gathered with a large group of family and friends at his parents' house in Santa Rosa, with people filling the front room and others watching the TV through the window from outside. When his name was called, Vaughn hugged his girlfriend, Lexi Hickman, his sister Madison and his parents, Toby and Diana.

It was a busy couple of hours for Vaughn, who took part in conference calls with Chicago media and then Bay Area reporters. He also squeezed in a FaceTime session with MLB Network, with analyst Eric Byrnes raving about Vaughn's swing.

"It's unbelievable," Vaughn said of the experience. "I'm just so excited. It's a new chapter. It's definitely the unknown, but I'm very excited to start on it."

What a relief it must have been to finally know where he was going. Vaughn's entire junior season was spent performing before throngs of scouts, and with speculation on just how high in the first round he would go.

He turned in a great season under the spotlight, hitting .374 with 15 homers and 50 RBI and getting named a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award. Vaughn won the Golden Spikes – given to the nation's best amateur baseball player -- last season as a sophomore.

Chosen third, Vaughn passed the previous Cal mark for highest draft pick held by pitcher Brandon Morrow, who was taken fifth overall in 2006 by the Seattle Mariners.

Lee, also a junior, made a splash this season as  Cal's cleanup hitter. He batted .337 with 15 homers and 57 RBI in 51 games. He earned first-team All-Pac 12 honors along with Vaughn and teammates Jared Horn (pitcher) and Quentin Selma (third base).

Lee was watching the draft in San Jose with his brother, Kellen, and his sister-in-law and nephew. He got a phone call from his advisor, who told him about the Astros' interest at No. 32.

"It caught me by surprise at first, and then it was a dream come true when I heard my name get called," said Lee, who was planning a trip home to Vista, Calif., to celebrate with his parents, Darrin and Lisa.

Having two players chosen in the first round is a feather in the cap for Cal head coach Mike Neu and his staff, who guided the Bears to their first NCAA Regionals berth since 2015.

"It says something about Cal baseball," Lee said. "It puts a good label on Cal baseball and I couldn't be more thankful to my teammates and coaches for leading the way."