CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Rumors are swirling that some sneaky Oregon State baseball fans have buried a Beavers jersey or T-shirt at the construction site of the Oregon Ducks' new ballpark.

PK Park is being built in the shadow of Autzen Stadium. The Ducks are reviving their baseball program after 28 years.

Rumors of the buried jersey, or a back-to-back National Champions T-shirt, spurred Oregon to excavate the area around home plate on Dec. 5 just to check, Joe Giansante, Oregon senior associate athletic director, told the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

"We had heard the rumors, so we had some equipment come out and take a look to make sure there was nothing there," Giansante said. "We're 100 percent sure there's not a jersey under home plate."

Because the area has paving five inches under the surface, it was easily refilled after the excavation, Giansante said.

Pacific Excavation of Springfield/Albany performed a portion of the excavation work at PK Park. The company's president and general manager is Brad Carlsen, a 1986 Oregon State graduate.

He's taken several calls about the rumor.

"I think there were some pretty concerned people at the University of Oregon, from Joe Giansante up and down," Carlsen said.

He said he didn't bury anything, and neither did any of his employees.

The first phase of Oregon's new 4,000-seat ballpark should be ready for the Feb. 27 home opener against reigning national champion Fresno State. Temporary bleachers used this coming spring will be replaced by a permanent grandstand for the 2010 season.

The Ducks and the Beavers last played on May 9, 1981, at Coleman Field. Oregon State won both games of a double header.

Giansante said the rumors add to the excitement over the revival of the baseball Civil War.

"It's a fun thing for the rivalry, even though we can't really call it a rivalry yet because we haven't played it for 28 years," Giansante said. "We're excited that Beaver fans are interested in us and the park, and we hope to have a tremendous rivalry."