Gottilla got off to a good start in 2020, working 6.1 scoreless innings during his freshman season at UCF. The Quad Cities native worked scoreless innings against Stetson, Miami, and Jacksonville, recording eight strikeouts in his time on the mound. Gottilla came to UCF from Davenport Assumption High School, where he was ranked as the best lefthanded pitcher in the Hawkeye State. He was a three-year letterwinner in baseball at Assumption, earning First Team All-State honors as a senior and winning state championships as a sophomore and a junior.